# Uncle Julius — The Conjure Woman character guide

> Uncle Julius in The Conjure Woman by Charles W. Chesnutt.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Julius, old Julius, ole Julius, Julius McAdoo, old Julius McAdoo

**First appearance:** 0000-the-goophered-grapevine

## Snapshot

An old freedman with an exhaustless store of slavery-day tales, who trades stories for favors from the Northern couple who bought his former master's vineyard.

## Who they are

Julius McAdoo, once enslaved on the McAdoo plantation, now works odd jobs for John and Annie, a Northern couple new to North Carolina. His tales of conjure and cruelty are never quite innocent: each one tends to end where a small advantage for Julius begins, whether it's a grape patch, a bee-tree, or a job for a relative. He matters because his voice is the book's engine—through him, the buried history of slavery reaches ears that would rather not hear it, wrapped in humor and the fading light of an old man's memory.

## Relationships

### [Annie](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_conjure_woman_se/characters/annie)

_social_

Annie is the wife of the Northern narrator and listens to Uncle Julius's stories with curiosity and sympathy.

### [Mars Dugal' McAdoo](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_conjure_woman_se/characters/mars_dugal_mcadoo)

_professional_

Uncle Julius was formerly a slave of Mars Dugal', and later tells stories about him to the narrator.

### [Annie](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_conjure_woman_se/characters/annie)

_social_

Annie is the wife of the Northern narrator and listens to Uncle Julius's stories with curiosity and sympathy.

### [Mars Dugal' McAdoo](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_conjure_woman_se/characters/mars_dugal_mcadoo)

_professional_

Uncle Julius was formerly a slave of Mars Dugal', and later tells stories about him to the narrator.

### [Annie](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_conjure_woman_se/characters/annie)

_social_

Annie is the wife of the Northern narrator and listens to Uncle Julius's stories with curiosity and sympathy.

### [Mars Dugal' McAdoo](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_conjure_woman_se/characters/mars_dugal_mcadoo)

_professional_

Uncle Julius was formerly a slave of Mars Dugal', and later tells stories about him to the narrator.

## In the story

### [The Goophered Grapevine](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_conjure_woman_se/chapters/the-goophered-grapevine)

Narrates the story of the goophered vineyard to the narrator and Annie, warning them not to buy it.

### [Po' Sandy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_conjure_woman_se/chapters/po-sandy)

Tells the story of Po' Sandy to the narrator's wife, and later asks to use the old schoolhouse for church meetings.

### [Mars Jeems's Nightmare](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_conjure_woman_se/chapters/mars-jeems-s-nightmare)

Julius introduces his grandson Tom for employment, and later tells the story of Mars Jeems's nightmare after witnessing a neighbor's cruelty to a horse.

### [The Conjurer's Revenge](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_conjure_woman_se/chapters/the-conjurer-s-revenge)

Visits the narrator and Annie on a Sunday afternoon, warns against buying a mule, and tells the story of Primus.

### [Sis' Becky's Pickaninny](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_conjure_woman_se/chapters/sis-becky-s-pickaninny)

Tells the story of Sis' Becky to cheer up Annie; carries a rabbit's foot for luck.

### [The Gray Wolf's Ha'nt](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_conjure_woman_se/chapters/the-gray-wolf-s-ha-nt)

Tells the story of Dan and the gray wolf's haunt to warn the narrator against clearing the swamp woods.

### [Hot-Foot Hannibal](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_conjure_woman_se/chapters/hot-foot-hannibal)

Drives the family and tells the story of Hot-Foot Hannibal to steer them away from the short road, facilitating the reconciliation between Mabel and Malcolm.

### [Other Julius Tales](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_conjure_woman_se/chapters/other-julius-tales)

The primary storyteller, recounting tales of the old plantation days.

### [Dave’s Neckliss](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_conjure_woman_se/chapters/dave-s-neckliss)

Eats ham at the narrator's home and tells the story of Dave, showing emotional depth.

### [Lonesome Ben](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_conjure_woman_se/chapters/lonesome-ben)

Tells the story of Lonesome Ben after observing a woman eating clay.

### [A Victim of Heredity](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_conjure_woman_se/chapters/a-victim-of-heredity)

Julius defends the claim that Black people are naturally fond of chicken, then tells a story tracing this trait to a conjure scheme.

### [Tobe's Tribulations](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_conjure_woman_se/chapters/tobe-s-tribulations)

Narrates the story of Tobe, expressing his aversion to eating frogs' legs from the marsh.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_conjure_woman_se/characters/uncle_julius
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_conjure_woman_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_conjure_woman_se/characters