Show Boat

There were many characters in the story of Show Boat. In the beginning we met Captain Andy Hawks and his wife Parthy Anne. Andy was the caption of the Cotton Blossom. They had one daughter and her name was Magnolia. The purpose of Andy and Parthy Anne is to add comedy and conflict in the story. They fought a lot and it was very humorous, and it seemed as if they both stood on opposite sides when it came to raising their daughter. Magnolia was probably the star of the musical. She tied in to almost everyone in the story.

Later on, Magnolia married Gaylord Rayenal. He is a gambler and gives Magnolia a good life for a while. His purpose in the story was to add the romance, and to also add conflict. They eventually have a daughter named Kim.

In the beginning we also met a girl named Julie LaVerne. She was married to a man named Steve Baker. Julie was also Magnolia's piano teacher. We also met a "friend" of Julie's named Pete Gavin. Pete had obviously been involved (probably not romantically) with Julie before Show Boat started. The purpose of those two was to tell of racial issues during that time.

There were also two characters in the beginning named Frank Shultz and Ellie May Chipley. They were the comedians on board. They were there for mostly comedy.... and also irony. They are the ones who met Magnolia in Chicago. It was also very ironic how they finally got married and adopted a son who turned out to be very talented.

Joe and Queenie were two of the black characters on the boat. They were married. I think the reason they were there was to show the segregation between whites and blacks in those days. Joe would also sing a song called "Old Man River" that stood for the passing of time.

Another character, but not the last was Windy. He was the captain of the towboat. He wasn't on the Cotton Blossom many times, but he did make a few appearances. In my opinion, Windy knew things that others didn't. I think he knew about Pete and Julie, as well as Gaylord. I think that is his purpose in the story.