# Sabra Cravat — Cimarron character guide > Sabra Cravat in Cimarron by Edna Ferber. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Sabra, Miss Sabra, Cousin Sabra, Sabra Venable **First appearance:** 0004-i ## Snapshot A Southern bride who packs her silver cake dish and Brussels-carpeted rocker onto a covered wagon, then discovers the frontier demands she become something harder than a lady. ## Who they are Sabra Cravat arrives in Oklahoma as a twenty-one-year-old wife bred to defer to a husband she adores, hauling linen and preserves into red-clay wilderness. When Yancey's impractical enthusiasms leave the family in the lurch, suspicion and resolve begin to harden in her, and she takes up the newspaper work he abandons. Her transformation from ornamental Southern daughter to the town's stubborn backbone is the spine of the novel's middle arc. ## Relationships ### [Yancey Cravat](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cimarron_se/characters/yancey_cravat) _family_ Husband and wife with a passionate but turbulent marriage, marked by Yancey's restless adventuring and Sabra's steadying influence. ### [Isaiah](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cimarron_se/characters/isaiah) _professional_ Isaiah is a loyal servant or employee in the Cravat household, deeply respectful and helpful to Sabra. ### [Mrs. Big Elk](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cimarron_se/characters/mrs_big_elk) _social_ A Native American woman who interacts with Sabra as a neighbor and occasional helper, reflecting the frontier's racial dynamics. ### [Donna Cravat](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cimarron_se/characters/donna_cravat) _family_ Mother and daughter, with Donna often caught between her mother's strong will and her father's romantic legacy. ### [Felice Venable](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cimarron_se/characters/felice_venable) _family_ Sabra's mother, a refined Southern lady who disapproves of Sabra's frontier life and Yancey's influence. ### [Grandma Standing Woman](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cimarron_se/characters/grandma_standing_woman) _social_ An elderly Native American woman who shares wisdom and a quiet bond with Sabra across cultural divides. ### [Mother Bridget](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cimarron_se/characters/mother_bridget) _friendship_ A Catholic nun and friend who supports Sabra in her community work and personal struggles. ### [Cimarron Cravat](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cimarron_se/characters/cimarron_cravat) _family_ Sabra's son, who inherits his father's restless spirit, causing tension with his mother's desire for stability. ### [Ruby Big Elk](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cimarron_se/characters/ruby_big_elk) _social_ A young Native American woman who works for Sabra, reflecting the complex racial and class hierarchies of the frontier. ### [Sol Levy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cimarron_se/characters/sol_levy) _professional_ A Jewish merchant and trusted business associate who helps Sabra manage the town's newspaper and finances. ### [Doc Valliant](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cimarron_se/characters/doc_valliant) _friendship_ The town doctor and a close friend who provides medical care and emotional support to Sabra over many years. ### [Dixie Lee](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cimarron_se/characters/dixie_lee) _friendship_ A saloon girl and friend who supports Sabra during difficult times, despite their different social standings. ## In the story ### [Cimarron](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cimarron_se/chapters/cimarron) Arrives in Osage with her family, begins to confront the challenges of frontier life and her husband's idealism. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cimarron_se/chapters/i) Mentioned as Yancey's bride, daughter of the Venable family, who chose him over other suitors. ### [Chapter II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cimarron_se/chapters/ii) Listens to Yancey's story, is startled by his plan, and ultimately supports him. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cimarron_se/chapters/iii) Visits Mother Bridget to say goodbye; feels nostalgia and terror about leaving for Indian Territory. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cimarron_se/chapters/iv) Drives one of the wagons, struggles with the physical demands of the journey and the shock of sleeping outdoors, clings to her genteel upbringing. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cimarron_se/chapters/v) Struggles with the harsh landscape and her son's education; attempts to impose her own views on Indians; experiences panic when Cim goes missing. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cimarron_se/chapters/vi) Horrified by Osage's ugliness and lawlessness; confronts Yancey about raising Cim there; negotiates with Doc Nisbett over water barrels. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cimarron_se/chapters/vii) Inconsolable over the water shortage, she gradually accepts the grotesque realities of frontier life and fears for Yancey's safety as he pursues the Pegler murder investigation. ### [Chapter VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cimarron_se/chapters/viii) Supervises the family's preparations for church; reflects on Native American families. ### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cimarron_se/chapters/ix) Attends the church service with Yancey and Cim, observing the crowd and feeling a mix of reassurance and premonition. ### [The Founding of the Philomathean Society](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cimarron_se/chapters/x) Founder of the Philomathean Society; struggles with frontier life and attempts to recreate Southern social order; horrified by Mrs. Waltz's murder and her own naivety. ### [Chapter XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cimarron_se/chapters/xi) Gives birth to Donna and experiences a psychic change, resolving to improve her home and community. ### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cimarron_se/chapters/xii) Returns to Wichita after 3.5 years, feels out of place, and embraces her role as matriarch of Osage. ### [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cimarron_se/chapters/xiii) Returns from Wichita, anxious and then shocked to learn of Yancey's killing of the Kid; later visits the Kid's body in a trance. ### [Chapter XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cimarron_se/chapters/xiv) Content with family and social life, but frustrated by Yancey's refusal of political office and his restless plans. She violently opposes the Cherokee Strip Run, has hysterics, and later tries to keep Yancey home by buying a farm. ### [Chapter XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cimarron_se/chapters/xv) Now a competent newspaper editor running the Oklahoma Wigwam, she has hardened and developed her powers after Yancey's abandonment, rejecting her mother's pleas to return home. ### [Chapter XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cimarron_se/chapters/xvi) Running the Wigwam for five years, leading the purity campaign against Dixie Lee, and confronting Yancey over his decision to defend the harlot. ### [XVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cimarron_se/chapters/xvii) Enters the courtroom as representative of the press, watching Yancey's performance. ### [Chapter XVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cimarron_se/chapters/xviii) Struggles with Yancey's return to the Wigwam, feeling her authority diminished; confronts Yancey over his Indian editorial and vows never to forgive him. ### [XIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cimarron_se/chapters/xix) Runs the Wigwam and her household alone; sends Donna East; leads social clubs; clashes with Ruby Big Elk; feels isolated and frustrated. ### [Chapter XX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cimarron_se/chapters/xx) Confronts Yancey about the newspaper sign, defends Yancey to Donna, and manages the paper. ### [Chapter XXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cimarron_se/chapters/xxi) Runs the Oklahoma Wigwam, devotes a page to Osage news, and maintains the paper's integrity despite the oil boom. ### [Chapter XXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cimarron_se/chapters/xxii) Sabra is shocked and devastated by Cim's marriage to Ruby Big Elk, struggling to maintain her composure throughout the wedding festivities. ### [XXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cimarron_se/chapters/xxiii) Now a Congresswoman, she orchestrates a social reception in Washington with Donna, introducing Ruby Big Elk to Eastern elites. She still wears her plain gold wedding band, a symbol of her past. ### [Chapter XXIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cimarron_se/chapters/xxiv) Hosts Masja Krbecek, recounts her pioneering life, and advocates for Indian rights in Congress. ### [Chapter XXV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cimarron_se/chapters/xxv) Now a Congresswoman, she leads a tour of Bowlegs to expose its lawlessness and is devastated to find Yancey dying. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cimarron_se/characters/sabra_cravat - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cimarron_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cimarron_se/characters