Sheriff Chris Mannix

Though it feels strange for me to write this phrase, the best way to describe the character of Sheriff Chris Mannix is, well, 'loveable racist'. The Sheriff is by far the most entertaining and confusing character we as viewers are presented with throughout the entire screening of The Hateful eight. Mannix encapsulates perfectly what polite society seems too embarrassed to admit: that people with disgusting world-views can still be good people. Chris Mannix's friendly southern drawl plays like a bansuri which over the course of the movie, hypnotises viewers into liking him, even after rationally allowing them to understand that they should hate him.

With a topic as viscerally un-ethical as slavery, it's hard to see past somebody who supports such a disgusting system of subjugation; Sheriff Chris Mannix, however, shines past his abhorrent world views to reveal not a hate-filled yokel, but an honourable, quick-witted southerner, whose slow drawl is nothing more than a distraction from the one hand, so the other may pick your pocket.

This wonderful sleight of hand by Tarantino is aided by the fact that the civil war is officially over when the story is set. Southerners at this point in history are nationwide losers, whose previous unity with their countryman is now divided by accent. Southerners fought against their fellow white man, and lost. They had to cede power to the north. Any interactions southern confederates have with Black people, at this point in history, is not with smug superiority or sadistic avarice; rather, with a hollow bitterness and castrated anger. They must smart like a child forced to their room without dinner. These raw, unfiltered emotions are best expressed by the aged general who refuses to acknowledge Major Warren. When he is forced to interact with the African American, he attempts to hurt him with the only weapon left in his arsenal: 'Nigger'. The Sheriff, of course, is more diplomatic when talking to Warren, acutely aware that it was due to the kindness of Northerners that he didn't freeze to death in the unforgiving weather of the rocky plains. So, when speaking with Major Warren, he is able to receive him as a human being, even if he would prefer a world where he didn't have to.

In fact, the beauty of Mannix's character is that his racism, the subtle, smile in your face type, is one African American's face everyday in 2016. Society doesn't allow any space for the General, with his overt prejudice. For racism to exist in modern times, and it does exist in modern times, it must adapt, and play by the rules of society. Chris Mannix is a character intelligent enough to understand that to thrive in the new era of post-slave society, he must employ his southern charm to interact with 'undesirables', all the while keeping his inner thoughts for fellow like minded people, like the general.

The complexity that is Chris Mannix's psyche slowly reveals itself when the movie shifts focus and digs a little into his family. Of course, nobody expects the Sheriff would hail from a family of beat poets. It is insightful to learn, though, that Mannix's father was a respected Colonel of the Southern army. The pride with which Chris speaks of his Dad helps the viewer understand the difficulty anybody would have with reconciling a father who is lauded as being a hero (for trying to maintain a culture and lifestyle that has existed at that point for hundreds of years) with the harsh realities of slavery.

The character arc of Mannix adds a wonderful twist to our initial impression of him. He moves from occupying the realm of villain, to anti-hero, to eventual hero. He moves seamlessly through these archetypes, so by the time you have finished rooting for him as the hero, you are out of the theatre and may need to take a shower. Either way, Sheriff Mannix is an excellent character to emulate in your writing. To read a complete breakdown of his character arc, see the next page.

I would love to use this character in my writing. That is, a character presented to the reader as an untrustworthy villain, who over the course of the plot, becomes more likeable to the reader. The great thing about Mannix is that though he is forced to react to an unusual situation; ally himself with a black man to survive, he never compromises his questionable morals once during the movie. He still firmly believes in his idea of racial superiority he held at the beginning of the movie, by the end.