The Goophered Grapevine is a short tale by Charles W. Chesnutt that combines humor, social critique, and folklore. Set in the South after the Civil War, it is among the first works by an African American author to receive widespread acclaim. A guy from the North tells the story of how he and his wife relocate to North Carolina in pursuit of a better environment for his wife’s health and a chance to invest in a vineyard.

Arrival in North Carolina

First, the narrator explains that his wife has a chronic ailment and that their doctor suggests moving to a warmer region. After leaving their home in the North, the couple moves to the rural South in search of a place to call home. The narrator discovers an ancient, deserted vineyard while exploring the region. He thinks about purchasing it and turning it back into a profitable business since he is intrigued by its potential.

Meeting Uncle Julius

The narrator encounters Uncle Julius, an old African American man who has lived on the farm for many years, before coming to a final conclusion. Julius cautions the narrator against purchasing the vineyard, as if worried about his future intentions. According to him, the vineyard is “goophered,” or cursed. Julius provides a detailed account of the vineyard’s past and the paranormal activities connected to it in order to bolster his argument.

The Tale of the Goopher

Uncle Julius claims that Mars Dugal, a plantation owner, owned the vineyard many years ago. This owner wanted to keep the expensive scuppernong grapes from being eaten by enslaved people because he was very possessive of his property. In order to do this, he engaged Aunt Peggy, a local conjure lady, to curse—or “gopher”—the vines.

Anyone who consumed the grapes would undoubtedly face severe repercussions, maybe even death, as a result of the curse. According to Julius, the curse first caused illness and death in a number of enslaved persons who ventured to consume the grapes. As word got out, nobody dared to taste the grapes, thus Mars Dugal was able to sell them profitably.

A Curious Exception

Julius introduces a guy named Henry, which gives the narrative a twist. As part of a deal, Henry, an enslaved guy, arrived to the plantation. Henry ate some of the grapes soon after arrival, unaware of the goopher. Mars Dugal was upset to hear this because he thought Henry may die and he would lose his investment. Mars Dugal, desperate, turned to Aunt Peggy once more for assistance. To save Henry’s life, she cast another magic, but this time it gave him strange abilities.

Julius claims that Henry’s life got intertwined with the vineyard. Henry’s strength and vitality would increase as the vines thrived and got healthier. Henry would get frail and ill as the grapes wilted. Henry became a living symbol of the vineyard’s health because of this peculiar link.

Mars Dugal’s Greed

Mars Dugal started taking advantage of Henry for financial gain after seeing the possibilities of his condition. When the vineyard was flourishing throughout the growing season, Mars Dugal would sell Henry to a neighboring plantation owner for a hefty fee. But Henry’s health would deteriorate as the season came to a close and the vines started to wither. Then, over a number of years, Mars Dugal would repeat this plan by purchasing Henry back at a reduced price.

Julius highlights the demeaning treatment of enslaved people by characterizing this as a clever but terrible tactic. This part of the narrative gently criticizes the system of slavery and plantation owners’ avarice.

The Fall of the Vineyard

After the Civil War, when the plantation system fell apart and Mars Dugal died, the goopher finally lost its influence. The vineyard has never been the same since, Julius says as he wraps off his tale. He cautions the narrator once more, implying that anyone attempting to deal with the vineyard may still be impacted by the goopher.

The Narrator’s Decision

The narrator is still dubious in spite of Julius’s lengthy explanation and his cautions. He chooses to purchase the vineyard in spite of the story, dismissing it as the result of superstition. He thinks the land has promise and that the alleged curse won’t interfere with his goals.

A Thriving Business

The narrator successfully recovers the vineyard after buying it, turning it into a flourishing business. He grows a range of grapes, such as the scuppernong, and markets them in the North. In the post-war South, the vineyard becomes a representation of prosperity and economic potential, especially for Northern investors.

Uncle Julius’s True Motives

The narrator gradually comes to the conclusion that Uncle Julius could have told the story for other reasons. Julius had been making money from the abandoned land by selling its grapes until the narrator purchased the vineyard. Julius was probably attempting to safeguard his own interests by deterring the narrator from purchasing it.

The narrator hires Julius to work on the vineyard and gives him a decent compensation, but he doesn’t know if Julius’s story was made up or based on real occurrences. In an indication that he has not completely lost his bond with the vineyard, he writes that Julius still enjoys the grapes around harvest season.

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