How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"Now listen," she said. "I want you to run, and I don't want you to stop running. I want you to go tell Rufe and Reverend Jameson, and Corrine and the rest of them to gather at Mathu's house right away. And I want you to go to the front, and I want you to—listen to me good, now," she said, squeezing my shoulders and hurting me a little bit—"go up to the house and see if Miss Merle's there. If she is, tell her I say come quick. […] If she's not there, tell Janey to call her and Lou and tell them to get here quick. Don't waste time on the phone talking, just get here quick. Don't do nothing but get here quick. You heard what I said, Snookum?"
"What am I telling all them people to get here quick for?" I asked her.
"That's none of your business, Snookum. You're nothing but a little boy. Now, get moving and don't stop running." (1.18-20)
Sure, Candy's a grown-up and Snookum is a kid, but this is more than just Candy refusing to put up with any of Snookum's shenanigans. Candy bosses Snookum around because he's just a boy—but then what about the way she tries to boss around the older men, too? Do you think it means that she doesn't consider them "men" either?
Quote #2
Then that oldest boy of Berto, that sissy one they called Fue, come running down the riverbank and said Clatoo said Miss Merle said that young woman at Marshall, Candy, wanted us on the place right away. She wanted us to get twelve-gauge shotguns and number five shells and she wanted us to shoot, but keep the empty shells and get there right away.
Me and Mat looked at him standing there sweating—a great big old round-face, sissy-looking boy, in blue jeans and a blue gingham shirt, the shirt wet from him running.
Mat said, "All that for what?"
The boy looked like he was ready to run some more. Sweat just pouring down the side of his face. He was one of them great big old sissy-looking boys—round, smooth, sissy-looking face.
He said: "Something to do with Mathu, something to do with Beau Boutan dead in his yard. That's all I know, all I want to know. Up to y'all now. I done done my part. Y'all can go and do like she say or ya'll can go home, lock y'all doors, and crawl under the bed like y'all used to. Me, I'm leaving."
"Where you going?" Mat called to him.
"You and no Boutan'll ever know." (4.2-8)
So, it's a pretty safe bet that Chimley doesn't think much of Fue and his "sissy-looking" face—whatever that means. But check out what else is going on here. Not only is Fue basically called a sissy, but he's also on the run. This is a not-so subtle suggestion that "real men" don't run from trouble, they face it head on.
Quote #3
Mapes was a lot of things. He was big, mean, brutal. But Mapes respected a man. Mathu was a man, and Mapes respected Mathu. But he didn't think much of the rest of us, and he didn't respect us. […]
Mapes liked Mathu. They had hunted together. Wildcats, alligators, deers. They had fished together. And Mapes had had a few drinks with Mathu at Mathu's house. He liked Mathu. Even when Mathu got into trouble and he had to arrest Mathu, he knowed it wasn't Mathu's doing. But he knowed Mathu had never backed down from anybody, either. Maybe that's why he liked him. To him Mathu was a real man. The rest of us wasn't. (9.12-17)
We can't be sure, but we think it might just be the case that Mapes knows old Mathu could totally put the hurt on him if they go to trading punches that makes Mapes think twice about treating Mathu with disrespect.