The Saints of Swallow Hill

Delwood “Del” Reese is one of the two protagonists of the novel. A 28-year-old farm worker, Del is punished by his boss by being forced into a grain bin after having an affair with his boss’s wife and the wives of several other men on the farm. Following a near-death experience, Del decides to change his life and build a legacy not only for himself but for the longleaf pines he grew up managing. His character arc drives both resilience and determination in hardships and the importance of legacy as he successfully faces the struggles at Swallow Hill in hopes of starting his turpentine business and fulfilling his vision of saving the pines and giving them long-lasting lives. He hopes he can make sure the pines would “outlive him and his sons” and survive even “five hundred years” (63).

After the grain bin accident, Del struggles with trauma, partly in the form of sexual dysfunction. Nolan assures him he will improve once he finds the right woman. He sees that woman in Rae Lynn and helps her throughout the novel. His devotion to Rae Lynn eventually helps him overcome his sexual dysfunction and start a family with her. He finds purpose working with the trees and investing in them and in his family.

Del is depicted as a keen observer of those around him, as well as tolerant; he thus represents The Burden of Race, Gender, and Sexuality Expectations, as he treats his men equally and despises Crow’s racism and Otis’s misogyny. Before he realizes Rae Lynn is a woman, he suspects something is different about her, noting the way she puts wildflowers in a mug, but he shares these observations with curiosity rather than judgment. He is not only a hard worker but also a devoted brother and, later, a good husband and father. Del accepts Rae Lynn after she confesses about Warren. He also defends her against Crow, Otis, and Butch. By defending others, even when it puts him at risk, he shows his strength of character as someone who is good and on whom Rae Lynn can depend.

Cornelia Riddle is a supporting protagonist and the wife of Otis Riddle; she helps him run the commissary at Swallow Hill. She is depicted as being kind and compassionate, which drives her to help others, including Del and Rae Lynn.

Her character arc involves The Burden of Race, Gender, and Sexuality Expectations. Cornelia becomes close to Rae Lynn and impulsively kisses her, which results in Otis and Crow attacking her and Rae Lynn, prompting them to leave Swallow Hill for good. She later shows affection toward Rae Lynn again and confesses that she is a lesbian, the discovery of which resulted in her forced marriage to Otis so that her parents would not disown her. While Rae Lynn doesn’t reciprocate Cornelia’s romantic feelings, she accepts her—subverting the social norms of her time—and Cornelia is satisfied with that.

Cornelia transforms throughout the novel, starting as the timid and fearful wife of a brutal tyrant who has to watch everything she says and becoming a bolder, more assertive woman who eventually gains the strength and camaraderie she needs to leave Otis. Her friendship with Rae Lynn helps her regain herself and her desire for a different life, and she becomes willing to pursue it through their friendship. After she leaves, she becomes more relaxed and enjoys life, taking great pleasure in helping Sudie May and Rae Lynn at the farmhouse. After she dies due to a tumor in her throat, she leaves fond memories for Rae Lynn, Del, and their children, who knew her as Aunt Nellie.

Otis Riddle runs the commissary at Swallow Hill and, at the time Del and Rae Lynn arrive, has been married to Cornelia for about a year. Like Crow Sweeney, to whom Rae Lynn frequently compares him, Otis is an antagonist described as “deceitful, calculating.” Due to his control of the camp’s lone store and its prices, much of the town is indebted to him, a source of control in which he takes delight.

Otis is depicted most frequently in scenes with Cornelia, from whom he demands obedience and who he abuses physically and verbally. Cornelia later discloses to Rae Lynn that Otis wets the bed and that upon her discovery of this fact, Otis hit her for the first time. In this way, Otis’s wrath is tied to feelings of emasculation and humiliation, and his character represents oppressive gender norms, particularly the notion that wives “belong” to their husbands. When Cornelia ultimately leaves Otis with Rae Lynn, he worries out loud to Del about who will cook for him and do his laundry, illustrating Cornelia’s real value to him and the freedom she has to gain by leaving their marriage.