# Lum Boger — The Mule-Bone character guide

> Lum Boger in The Mule-Bone by Langston Hughes.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Lum, Lum Aw

**First appearance:** 0002-act-i

## Snapshot

A gangly young town marshal barely out of boyhood, he wears his authority like a borrowed hat and loves an audience.

## Who they are

Lum Boger is about twenty, tall and flat-footed, and the title of town marshal sits on him awkwardly — he is more eager to be seen than to enforce anything. He belongs to the porch crowd around Joe Clark's store, where status is measured in who gets listened to, and he clearly wants his share. His youth and his show-off streak make him both comic and a little poignant, a small-town official still figuring out what power he actually holds. He adds to the play's portrait of a community where everyone performs a role, however thin the script.

## Relationships

### [Lige](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mule_bone_se/characters/lige)

_friendship_

Lige and Lum Boger are friends who share casual camaraderie and mutual support.

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

_social_

Lum Boger and Mrs. Roberts are community acquaintances, interacting in a polite but distant way.

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

_friendship_

Jim and Lum Boger are friends, sharing a bond of camaraderie and mutual respect.

### [Lige](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mule_bone_se/characters/lige)

_friendship_

Lige and Lum Boger are friends who share casual camaraderie and mutual support.

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

_social_

Lum Boger and Mrs. Roberts are community acquaintances, interacting in a polite but distant way.

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

_friendship_

Jim and Lum Boger are friends, sharing a bond of camaraderie and mutual respect.

## Links

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