# Sam Stillings — The Quest of the Silver Fleece character guide

> Sam Stillings in The Quest of the Silver Fleece by W. E. B. Du Bois.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Stillings, Samuel Stillings, Sam

**First appearance:** 0027-xxv-the-campaign

## Snapshot

A white businessman and political operative whose quiet dealings shape the fate of Black lives in the post-Reconstruction South.

## Who they are

Stillings moves through the world of commerce and politics where the cotton crop is currency and Black labor is the machinery that runs it. He is the kind of man who works through others, pulling strings from behind a desk while others take the risks. His presence shadows the early arc, a reminder that the forces arrayed against Bles and Zora are not only personal but systemic.

## Relationships

### [Bles Alwyn](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/characters/bles_alwyn)

_friendship_

Bles and Sam are close friends and allies, supporting each other through shared struggles and political activism.

### [Bles Alwyn](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/characters/bles_alwyn)

_friendship_

Bles and Sam are close friends and allies, supporting each other through shared struggles and political activism.

### [Bles Alwyn](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/characters/bles_alwyn)

_friendship_

Bles and Sam are close friends and allies, supporting each other through shared struggles and political activism.

## In the story

### [Miss Caroline Wynn](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/chapters/xxii-miss-caroline-wynn)

A former butler now navigating Washington politics, he is shrewd and opportunistic, using connections to advance his own ambitions.

### [The Education of Alwyn](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/chapters/xxiv-the-education-of-alwyn)

A patient and resolute man who sees Bles as a stepping stone to gain entry into the inner circle of Washington's Black society.

### [XXVI: Congressman Cresswell](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/chapters/xxvi-congressman-cresswell)

Schemes to undermine Alwyn and secure a government position for himself, using Teerswell and Cresswell.

### [A Master of Fate](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/chapters/xxix-a-master-of-fate)

Teerswell's partner in the political scheme, who works to manipulate Cresswell and secure the Treasury position for himself after Alwyn's downfall.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/characters/sam_stillings
- 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