Artis O. Peavey

Artis O. Peavey is a fictional character in the novel Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe written by author Fannie Flagg.

He was one of the four children of Onzel and Big George, both residents of Troutville (a shacktown near Whistle Stop, Alabama). He was one of a pair of twins, along with his brother Jasper; they were born on June 2, 1917. Along with Jasper, Artis had another brother, Wonderful Counselor (also known as Willie Boy), and a sister, Naughty Bird.

Biography

From his birth, Artis was always different from his twin brother. Physically, they were very different, as Jasper was born with very pale skin and Artis was "black as coal". As well, Artis was born with blue gums, which caused anxiety from his grandmother Sipsey, who felt that the miscolored gums were an omen of ill tidings.

At the age of 10, Artis exerted his first real violent behaviour. He stabbed his brother Jasper in the arm five times with a penknife, which would demand immediate medical attention. Afterward, by way of apology, he said "I knowed I shouldn'ta done it . . . but it felt so good, I jes couldn't stop."

When Sipsey killed Frank Bennett, Artis was told to stay in a shed with the body, until the adults were ready to deal with it. During the night, Artis stabbed the corpse multiple times, which gave him a feeling of superiority over whites who were harassing him. He would smile to himself and reflect that he had stabbed one of them already.

As soon as he was able, Artis moved from Whistle Stop to nearby Birmingham. He instantly felt at home. The urban lifestyle suited him much better than did the small town of Whistle Stop. From that point on, he was a city boy. During his life, he had been married more than once and jailed at least one time.

Artis' brother Willie Boy served in the army during World War II, but Willie Boy died as a result of a bar fight with another coloured American, Winston Lewis. After attending his brother's funeral, Artis murdered Lewis and cut out his heart.

The cause of his first jail time was the fact that he pulled a knife when in the presence of two government employees, after an altercation regarding a dog. They were dogcatchers, and the reason he drew his switchblade was that they were about to take the dog of one of his friends. They had tied up the dog, and he used his knife to cut the rope. As he was watching the dog run, the dogcatchers beat him over the back of the head. After a perfunctory trial, Artis was sentenced to ten years in prison, but Idgie and Grady (two other residents of Whistle Stop and friends of the family) managed to get him out after six months, due to Grady's position as sheriff of Whistle Stop.

This experience seemed to make a lasting impression on Artis, and he promised the sheriff he would stay out of trouble. He went straight home after being released and was greeted by a loving wife. This experience of jail was to affect him for the rest of his life.

Later, in an apartment store, Artis met his niece Clarissa (Jasper's daughter who was light-skinned enough to pass off as white) and grabbed her arm. He was promptly thrown out for "harassing a white woman".

When Artis was an old man, he lived in a run-down hotel, being taken care of by one of the many women in his life. He had become senile and no longer took notice of the world around him. He spent his days wandering throughout his own mind, reliving all his past, good memories. He died while sitting on a sofa in the lobby, laughing and remembering.

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