The Sheriff's Children

Analyze the first-person narrator’s tone, voice, and authority to consider how the narrative style expresses the story’s moral design.

Do you feel the story is optimistic or pessimistic about a better future for Black people in America? What evidence supports your argument?

Charles W. Chesnutt identified as African American but could “pass” as white. How does this inform your understanding of the story?

Apply the approach of gender-critical theory to the story, taking into account gender roles and expectations at the time.

Research the socioeconomic condition of North Carolina in the 1870s. Is Chesnutt’s depiction fair and accurate? How does he draw on historical fact and in what ways does he alter this for narrative purposes?

The sheriff appears to believe in his ability to free Tom through lawful means. Do you believe this to be true? Draw upon evidence from the story as well as the historical context of the time.

One of the themes of the story is Social Versus Moral Duty. Use examples from the text to argue which of the sheriff’s duties is most compelling.

“The Sheriff’s Children” ends with Tom’s death. How does this inform the sheriff’s “awakening” and potential redemption?