# Bles Alwyn — The Quest of the Silver Fleece character guide > Bles Alwyn in The Quest of the Silver Fleece by W. E. B. Du Bois. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Bles, Alwyn, Mr. Alwyn **First appearance:** 0003-i-dreams ## Snapshot A country boy dazzled by Washington's Black strivers, Bles Alwyn chases political ambition only to find his conscience pulling him back South. ## Who they are Bles arrives in Washington hungry for the world of well-dressed, self-possessed Black men and women he has never seen before, and quickly attaches himself to Senator Smith's orbit. But his sudden success crumbles when a moral crisis leaves him a mere clerk, and he writes to Miss Smith for work at the new farm. Returning South in the Jim Crow car, he finds Zora transformed into a woman he cannot read, and his old tenderness collides with a new unease about who she has become. ## Relationships ### [Zora Cresswell](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/characters/zora_cresswell) _romantic_ Bles and Zora share a deep, passionate love that is complicated by race, class, and their differing visions for their futures. ### [Mr. Teerswell](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/characters/mr_teerswell) _professional_ Bles works for Mr. Teerswell as a laborer and later as a political organizer, but Teerswell exploits his labor and ideals. ### [Senator Smith](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/characters/senator_smith) _professional_ Bles becomes a political protégé of Senator Smith, who uses him as a tool for his own political ambitions while offering limited mentorship. ### [Colonel Cresswell](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/characters/colonel_cresswell) _rivalry_ Bles and Colonel Cresswell are antagonists, as Bles challenges the Colonel's authority and exposes his corrupt practices. ### [The Judge](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/characters/the_judge) _professional_ Bles interacts with The Judge in legal and political contexts, where The Judge uses his power to undermine Bles's efforts. ### [Sam Stillings](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/characters/sam_stillings) _friendship_ Bles and Sam are close friends and allies, supporting each other through shared struggles and political activism. ### [Zora Cresswell](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/characters/zora_cresswell) _romantic_ Bles and Zora share a deep, passionate love that is complicated by race, class, and their differing visions for their futures. ### [Senator Smith](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/characters/senator_smith) _professional_ Bles becomes a political protégé of Senator Smith, who uses him as a tool for his own political ambitions while offering limited mentorship. ### [The Judge](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/characters/the_judge) _professional_ Bles interacts with The Judge in legal and political contexts, where The Judge uses his power to undermine Bles's efforts. ### [Zora Cresswell](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/characters/zora_cresswell) _romantic_ Bles and Zora share a deep, passionate love that is complicated by race, class, and their differing visions for their futures. ### [Senator Smith](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/characters/senator_smith) _professional_ Bles becomes a political protégé of Senator Smith, who uses him as a tool for his own political ambitions while offering limited mentorship. ### [Mr. Teerswell](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/characters/mr_teerswell) _professional_ Bles works for Mr. Teerswell as a laborer and later as a political organizer, but Teerswell exploits his labor and ideals. ## In the story ### [The Quest of the Silver Fleece](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/chapters/the-quest-of-the-silver-fleece) Bles is drawn into Zora's quest, observing her work and becoming entangled in the hopes and dangers surrounding the fleece. ### [I: Dreams](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/chapters/i-dreams) Arrives in the South, weary and alone, seeking the school. He is both fascinated and unnerved by his first encounter with Zora. ### [II: The School](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/chapters/ii-the-school) A new student arriving at the school, determined to pay his way and receive an education. ### [III: Miss Mary Taylor](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/chapters/iii-miss-mary-taylor) A student at the school, described as a 'tall black lad.' He is knowledgeable and poetic about cotton, and his conversation with Miss Taylor reveals a shared moment of connection that surprises her. ### [IV: Town](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/chapters/iv-town) Drives Miss Taylor to town, interprets the Golden Fleece as a symbol of stolen labor, and shows awareness of racial injustice. ### [V: Zora](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/chapters/v-zora) Shows a protective and ambitious side, encouraging Zora to get an education and devising a plan to grow a 'Silver Fleece' to fund her schooling. He is both fascinated and puzzled by Zora's worldview. ### [The Place of Dreams](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/chapters/vii-the-place-of-dreams) Now eighteen, he is enthusiastic about planting the Silver Fleece with Zora and shows maturity in his interactions, though he is unaware of Miss Taylor's feelings. ### [Mr. Harry Cresswell](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/chapters/viii-mr-harry-cresswell) Refuses to yield the road to Harry Cresswell, feeling a burning rage at the injustice of having to cringe before a white man. ### [IX: The Planting](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/chapters/ix-the-planting) Takes on the heavy burden of clearing the land, showing his protective and caring nature toward Zora, and his reverence for her innocence. ### [The Flowering of the Fleece](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/chapters/xi-the-flowering-of-the-fleece) Bles works alongside Zora in the cotton field, their companionship deepening. He notices her changing speech and appearance, feeling a mix of admiration and pain as she drifts into a new world. ### [XIV: Love](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/chapters/xiv-love) Realizes his love for Zora during the rain, finds her exhausted after saving the cotton, carries her to the school, and later reunites with her in the field. ### [Revelation](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/chapters/xv-revelation) Joyful in his love for Zora, he is caught in an intimate moment by the visiting committee, leading to a confrontation that foreshadows future struggles. ### [Miss Caroline Wynn](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/chapters/xxii-miss-caroline-wynn) Dreams of making a life in Washington, feels both inspired and alienated by the city's Black population, and seeks a government clerkship. ### [XXIII: The Training of Zora](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/chapters/xxiii-the-training-of-zora) Mentioned as being a clerk in the Treasury Department at Washington, D.C., and the boy in whom Zora was once interested. ### [The Education of Alwyn](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/chapters/xxiv-the-education-of-alwyn) The earnest and idealistic newcomer who is educated in the ways of Washington's Black elite, struggling to reconcile his beliefs with the world's realities. ### [The Campaign](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/chapters/xxv-the-campaign) Returns to Washington after the campaign victory, receives political offers, and struggles with his conscience and ambitions. ### [XXVI: Congressman Cresswell](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/chapters/xxvi-congressman-cresswell) Slated for a high office; becomes the target of a conspiracy led by Stillings and Cresswell. ### [The Annunciation](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/chapters/xxviii-the-annunciation) Present at the Negro ball, correctly dressed and carrying himself with dignity. He is also the subject of political discussion regarding his potential appointment as Treasurer. ### [A Master of Fate](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/chapters/xxix-a-master-of-fate) Faces a moral dilemma between career advancement and his principles. He chooses to make a public stand against the party, sacrificing his nomination and his relationship with Carrie Wynn. ### [XXXIV: The Return of Alwyn](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/chapters/xxxiv-the-return-of-alwyn) Returns to the school after a failed career in Washington, seeking answers about Zora and his own purpose. ### [The Cotton Mill](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/chapters/xxxv-the-cotton-mill) Business manager of the school, he is shown Zora's home and plans, but struggles to adjust his paternalistic attitude toward her as she proposes they work together as equals. ### [The Land](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/chapters/xxxvi-the-land) Bles explains the land scheme to the men and attempts to buy supplies from Colonel Cresswell, but discovers the merchants are colluding against them. ### [The Mob](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/chapters/xxxvii-the-mob) Warns the community, organizes the defense, and counsels hiding guns after the mob's flight. ### [Atonement](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/chapters/xxxviii-atonement) Cares for Emma, but reveals his true love for Zora, leading to their union. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/characters/bles_alwyn - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/characters