Reuben Blye Character Analysis in The Warmth of Other Suns

Reuben Blye is Babe Blye’s older brother and one of George Starling’s dearest friends. After a traumatic childhood in Jim Crow-era Eustis, Florida, he moves to New York, where he works a series of heavy manufacturing jobs, then returns to Eustis to become a citrus grove foreman. He helps George Starling negotiate higher wages when they’re young and frequently visits George and Babe in New York when they’re in middle age. He relives old memories with George when he returns to Florida at the end of his life.

Reuben Blye Character Timeline in The Warmth of Other Suns

The timeline below shows where the character Reuben Blye appears in The Warmth of Other Suns. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Decision, Consequence, and Regret Theme Icon

...through town and pick up the best workers. When he can, George joins Babe and Reuben Blye , the only Black foremen. Like with cotton, fruit pickers are paid by weight, so... (full context)

Eustis, Florida, 1944. “Lil George’s roving union” makes waves in town. Babe and Reuben Blye , some of the only Black foremen, help George negotiate reasonable prices for each grove.... (full context)

History, Memory, and Identity Theme Icon

...are all dead, George Starling finally decides to go visit Eustis. He has dinner with Reuben Blye , one of the old foremen, who playfully insists that “a Florida man got more... (full context)

...who worked on the trains, brought gifts from New York, and always remembered his roots. Reuben Blye is there, too. George is buried at the only Black cemetery in Eustis. (full context)