The American Senator · Character

Goarly

A poor, ignorant Dillsborough man who killed a fox and went to law with a lord, becoming the unlikely cause of an American senator's crusade.

supporting

Also known as Mr. Goarly, scoundrel Goarly

First appearance: Goarly's Revenge

As a supporting figure in The American Senator, Goarly is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Appears with a gun on his own land, denies poisoning the fox, threatens to shoot any hound that enters his field, and is the focus of the crowd's anger.

In the storyGoarly's RevengeOpen this moment free

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Goarly is a tenant so unfortunate with his land that he can hardly feed his children, and he has taken on Lord Rufford over seven shillings and sixpence an acre of damaged crops. The Senator admires him for killing the fox and for suing the lord, while Bean the gamekeeper would gladly hang him and the whole country feeling runs against him. He matters because his squalid grievance becomes the test case for whether English justice is anything more than feudalism.

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See Goarly in Goarly's Revenge

Character Web

34 connections

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

Relationship types

Other

Character groups

Main characters and local gentry
Minor legal and sporting figures
Extended society and household members

+29 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 scene is the dramatic climax because it resolves the central emotional tension of Mary’s unrequited love…

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Relationships

Senator Gotobed
professional · ambivalent
Goarly, a poacher, becomes a legal case study for Senator Gotobed's critique of English… How this plays out →
Senator Gotobed
professional · ambivalent
Goarly, a poacher, becomes a legal case study for Senator Gotobed's critique of English… How this plays out →
Senator Gotobed
professional · ambivalent
Goarly, a poacher, becomes a legal case study for Senator Gotobed's critique of English… How this plays out →

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See Goarly in Goarly's Revenge

In the story

Goarly appears across 12 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Goarly's Revenge
Appears with a gun on his own land, denies poisoning the fox, threatens to shoot any hound that enters his field, and is the focus of the crowd's anger.
XIV: The Dillsborough Feud
The farmer accused of poisoning foxes, now pursuing a claim against Lord Rufford with Bearside's help.
Mr. Gotobed's Philanthropy
The poor farmer who killed a fox and is suing Lord Rufford for crop damage; receives the Senator's sympathy.
XIX: “Who Valued the Geese?”
The poor farmer at the center of the dispute; locals consider him a cheating knave, but the Senator sees him as a victim of feudalism.
The Senator's Letter
Avoids meeting the Senator at the Bush Inn; his wife pesters the Senator for money; the Senator is dissatisfied with him.
The Beginning of Persecution
Has accepted 7s. 6d. an acre from Lord Rufford and withdrawn his claim, to the triumph of the club and Mr. Masters.
Mary's Letter
Meets Lawrence Twentyman in Dillsborough Wood and is rebuffed by him.
XLI: The Senator Is Badly Treated
Absent from home; his wife claims he has been gone for a week and knows nothing of his whereabouts or the lawsuit.
The Senator’s Second Letter
Goarly has turned evidence against Scrobby, confirming his rascality, but the Senator insists this does not affect the principle of the case.
Scrobby's Trial
Key witness for the prosecution, admits to laying down herrings supplied by Scrobby but denies knowledge of poison. His testimony helps convict Scrobby.
LXXII: “Bid Him Be a Man”
Skulks in Dillsborough Wood and attempts to sell his land to Larry, but is rebuffed.
The Senator's Lecture.—No. II
Referenced in the Senator's anecdote about the hunting incident and Mrs. Goarly's goose.

Chapter companion notes

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See Goarly in Goarly's Revenge