The Conjure Man Dies: A Mystery Tale of Dark Harlem

Dr. John Archer is a Harlem physician and one of the main protagonists of the novel. Dr. Archer is extremely knowledgeable about biology and frequently notices details that many other doctors, medical examiners, and police officers overlook. He finds the handkerchief in the corpse’s throat early in the novel and quickly notices the differences between Frimbo’s blood and the corpse’s blood when he takes the former’s blood sample in Chapter 16.

He is also inquisitive and open to new ideas, even if they seem to contradict existing physical evidence. Though Jinx’s thumbprint appears on the club, Dr. Archer is not convinced that Jinx did it because he does not seem like the person who would murder Frimbo based on his story and personality. With logical explanation and physical demonstration, he concludes that someone framed Jinx by putting his thumbprint on the club with powder and paste. He also demonstrates the physical and anatomical impossibility of Jinx handling the club according to the thumbprint. Dr. Archer holds the philosophy that he is a detective like Dart, except that he pursues and apprehends diseases (160-61).

Dr. Archer’s intellect earns him Detective Dart’s respect and Frimbo’s trust. Frimbo invites him to his house to discuss science and philosophy, seeing him as a kindred spirit due to their extraordinary knowledge and struggles as Black men. He grows to respect Frimbo as an intellectual, though he still does not trust him and suspects him as a murderer until the end of the novel. Like Dart, he is a round character who is relatively static, though his feelings toward Frimbo show the capacity for growth and change.

Bubber Brown is a wisecracking, sanguine man who recently quit his job as a street sweeper to become a private detective. He specializes in handling “cheaters and backbiters” (36), but following the discovery of Frimbo’s murder, he starts using his detective skills to help free Jinx from jail and find the true killer. Bubber is a round and dynamic character with a nuanced personality. He becomes more capable as the novel goes on, demonstrated most clearly in his early bumbling detective work in contrast with his successful observations in later chapters.

Despite saying that there is “nobody black as me that’s less suprastitious,” he wholeheartedly believes in moon signs (24), and upon seeing a cloud over the moon in the shape of a human skull, he believes he will see death three times. His job in a practical field such as detective work and his belief in moon signs show a contrast between Science and Rationality Versus Mysticism and Superstition. He also believes Frimbo when he appears to have been resurrected. Bubber does witness three deaths, validating his superstition.

He has a deep but contentious friendship with Jinx Jenkins. He constantly insults Jinx’s intelligence and African ancestors throughout the novel and even downplays his friendship with him to protect himself. However, he works hard to find evidence that will free Jinx after his arrest and consults Dr. Archer when he finds the corpse. His detective work after Jinx’s arrest proves he is a good friend.

Jinx Jenkins is a young, unemployed man and Bubber Brown’s best friend. He is irritable, unfriendly, and frequently scowls. He is also skeptical of things that are impractical and is a pessimist. He and Bubber find the dead body in the opening chapters. His handkerchief is found in the corpse’s throat, and his thumbprint is found on the presumed murder weapon. This leads to his arrest, which astounds and worries him. He also doubts that Bubber can get him out of jail. However, Frimbo clears Jinx of the murder, and he is soon after released. Jinx is later shocked that Samuel Crouch was able to get his thumbprint and wonders if Samuel Crouch had “meant to dig me in” (241), but Bubber says that he would have just as likely targeted someone else. This inadvertently characterizes Jinx as an ordinary person, in contrast with the text’s brilliant minds like Dart and Dr. Archer.