Cimarron · Character

Jesse Rickey

A linotype operator in the Wigwam's back shop whose wavering will makes him a pawn in Osage's rough-and-tumble politics.

supporting

Also known as Jesse, the wavering Jesse Rickey

First appearance: viii

As a supporting figure in Cimarron, Jesse Rickey is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Yancey goes to see him about putting up the press and setting up type racks.

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Jesse Rickey runs the linotype alongside Cliff Means, laboring late by the little light in the printing shop while the town sleeps. He is the kind of man others lean on and then push, useful for his hands and his vote, uncertain enough to be steered. In a boomtown where the newspaper is a weapon, the men who set the type stand close to every secret and every scheme, and Jesse's weakness is exactly what the powerful count on.

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See Jesse Rickey in viii

Character Web

18 connections

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

Relationship types

Other

Character groups

Extended Community & Osage Relations
Core Cravat Family & Allies
Frontier Town Characters
Protagonist

+13 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

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

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This is the dramatic climax because it marks the psychological and emotional peak where Oklahoma, personified…

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In the story

Jesse Rickey appears across 7 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

VI
Yancey goes to see him about putting up the press and setting up type racks.
IX
Instructed by Yancey to shut the tent flap to prevent a stampede.
The Founding of the Philomathean Society
Assists Yancey in distributing the fake newspaper and shares in the joke.
Chapter XIV
Uncertain assistant who helps Sabra get out the paper during Yancey's absences.
Chapter XVI
Erratic printer at the Wigwam, takes Yancey's return for granted.
Chapter XVIII
Mentioned as wavering in his loyalty at the Wigwam under Sabra's rule.
XIX
Tells Yancey that Cim cannot be a newspaper man; has mournful, drooping mustaches.

Chapter companion notes

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See Jesse Rickey in viii

See Jesse Rickey in VI