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Babbitt · Character

Clarence Drum

A police captain and member of the Boosters' Club.

minor

Also known as Drum, Captain Clarence Drum, Mr. Drum

First appearance: chapter i

Clarence Drum shows up with force in Chapter XXVII. The page is where that presence becomes real.

Drum, a shoe merchant turned militia captain, aggressively advocates for violent suppression of strikers and confronts Babbitt after Babbitt questions his methods.
In the storyChapter XXVIIOpen this moment free

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In Chapter XXVII: Drum, a shoe merchant turned militia captain, aggressively advocates for violent suppression of strikers and confronts Babbitt after Babbitt questions his methods. Later, in I: Serves as a militia…

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The fuller portrait of Clarence Drum sits in Reading Lens — open the free preview to keep reading with notes on the page.

See Clarence Drum in chapter i

Character Web

13 connections

A slice of how Clarence Drum sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

GFGeorge F. Babb…VGVirgil GunchCRColonel Ruther…EWElbert WingPJProfessor Jose…CDClarence Drum

Relationship types

  • Other

Character groups

  • Civic and Authority Figures
  • Protagonist
  • Babbitt's Inner Circle
  • Extended Social Orbit

+8 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

SetupEscalationAftermathClimax
  • Setup
  • Escalation
  • Breaking point
  • Aftermath
  • Closing

This is the story's dramatic climax because Babbitt's vague, suppressed dread about Paul crystallizes into a s…

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In the story

Clarence Drum appears across 3 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for Clarence Drum unlock in the free preview.

See Clarence Drum in chapter i