Short Fiction · Character

Samuel Meredith

A young man of wealth and good name, Samuel Meredith uses silence and his own true emotion as weapons to bully a guilty woman into despair.

major

Also known as Sammy, Samuel, young Samuel

First appearance: the freshest boy

As a major figure in Short Fiction, Samuel Meredith is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Protagonist who undergoes moral transformation through four physical confrontations.

In the storyThe Four FistsOpen this moment free

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Samuel Meredith moves through a world of luncheons, chaise-longues, and family names that carry weight, and he treats the reputations of his relatives as his own property to defend. He corners Edna over a scandal, refuses to accept her explanations, and lets her talk herself into confession by being impervious and returning always to his own feeling. His cold, patient pressure on Edna and Cary Sloane — and his willingness to threaten Sloane's allowance — makes him the story's quiet enforcer of a family's code.

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See Samuel Meredith in the freshest boy

Character Web

16 connections

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Relationship types

Other

Character groups

Love and obsession
Southern social drama
Reverse aging and identity
Social climbers and romantics
Protagonist

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

Val reaches his emotional and psychological peak in this passage as he confronts the painful gap between his r…

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In the story

Samuel Meredith appears across 5 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

The Four Fists
Protagonist who undergoes moral transformation through four physical confrontations.
I
The protagonist, a boy with a 'hitable' face who struggles with social acceptance at Andover after a pampered European upbringing.
II
The protagonist of the chapter, a college student who prides himself on good form and social status, but undergoes a transformative realization after a streetcar altercation.
III
Samuel graduates from university, starts working on Wall Street, and becomes infatuated with a married woman named Marjorie, leading to a confrontation with her husband.
IV
Now in his early thirties, Samuel is tested by a business deal in the Southwest, where he reverses a land squeeze after being punched by rancher McIntyre, leading to his promotion to Carhart's partner.

Chapter companion notes

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See Samuel Meredith in the freshest boy

See Samuel Meredith in The Four Fists