Thieves Like Us

In Anderson's novel, Bowie is a convicted murderer and bank robber who escapes from a Mississippi chain gang in 1936. While hiding out at the home of Mattie and her two children, Bowie unwittingly insults Mattie by comparing her with his mother during an exchange that initially sounds like a pick-up. The insult, combined with the lascivious attention of the much older T-Dub toward Mattie's daughter Lula, and Bowie's later return with the young Keechie (now pregnant with Bowie's child) in tow inspires Mattie to revenge against Bowie.