Character Analysis
Hightower is haunted by his family's past. The son of a Civil War medic and the grandson of a Confederate cavalryman, Hightower spent his life hearing heroic tales about the American South and living in his forefathers' shadow. Frequently depicted sitting in darkness and surrounded by ghosts, Hightower represents the dangers of wallowing in the past, but also the inability of individuals to completely separate themselves from the deeds and misdeeds of their ancestors.