# Dave Carter — The Mule-Bone character guide

> Dave Carter in The Mule-Bone by Langston Hughes.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Dave, Dave Aw, David, Specially Dave Carter, no Dave, Dave Baby, Dave Daisy, Dave Gal, Dave Triumphant, Dave Whyncher

**First appearance:** 0001-the-mule-bone

## Snapshot

A Baptist dancer, soft and happy-go-lucky, he grins his way through a rivalry he barely understands, winning hearts without half trying.

## Who they are

Dave Carter is the easy counterweight to Jim Weston's sharpness — a dancer who moves through Joe Clark's store and porch with a loose, agreeable warmth that the town finds disarming. He is slightly dumb and slow with words, unable to trade barbs the way Jim can, yet his gentleness and his dancing give him a hold on Daisy that wit alone cannot match. His aunt Katie Carter frets over him, and the Baptist–Methodist divide colors how the community judges his chances. Dave matters because his unassuming charm makes the love contest genuinely uncertain, not a foregone conclusion.

## Relationships

### [Daisy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mule_bone_se/characters/daisy)

_romantic_

Daisy and Dave Carter are engaged in a flirtatious and possessive romantic relationship, with Dave often vying for her attention.

### [Jim](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mule_bone_se/characters/jim)

_rivalry_

Dave Carter and Jim are bitter rivals, competing directly for Daisy's love and often clashing with hostility.

### [Hambo](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mule_bone_se/characters/hambo)

_friendship_

Dave Carter and Hambo are friends, often socializing together and supporting each other.

### [Mrs. Roberts](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mule_bone_se/characters/mrs_roberts)

_social_

Dave Carter and Mrs. Roberts have a neighborly relationship, interacting as part of the town's social network.

### [Daisy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mule_bone_se/characters/daisy)

_romantic_

Daisy and Dave Carter are engaged in a flirtatious and possessive romantic relationship, with Dave often vying for her attention.

### [Daisy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mule_bone_se/characters/daisy)

_romantic_

Daisy and Dave Carter are engaged in a flirtatious and possessive romantic relationship, with Dave often vying for her attention.

### [Jim](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mule_bone_se/characters/jim)

_rivalry_

Dave Carter and Jim are bitter rivals, competing directly for Daisy's love and often clashing with hostility.

### [Hambo](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mule_bone_se/characters/hambo)

_friendship_

Dave Carter and Hambo are friends, often socializing together and supporting each other.

### [Jim](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mule_bone_se/characters/jim)

_rivalry_

Dave Carter and Jim are bitter rivals, competing directly for Daisy's love and often clashing with hostility.

### [Mrs. Roberts](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mule_bone_se/characters/mrs_roberts)

_social_

Dave Carter and Mrs. Roberts have a neighborly relationship, interacting as part of the town's social network.

### [Mrs. Roberts](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mule_bone_se/characters/mrs_roberts)

_social_

Dave Carter and Mrs. Roberts have a neighborly relationship, interacting as part of the town's social network.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mule_bone_se/characters/dave_carter
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mule_bone_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mule_bone_se/characters