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Illustrated portrait of Robert Syverten

A character in They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?

Robert Syverten

The aspiring director who narrates the marathon and Gloria's death.

What they want

To find film work and help Gloria survive.

The book

Cover of They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? by Horace McCoy
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?Horace McCoy, 1935

A Depression-era dance marathon turns hunger and exhaustion into paid entertainment.

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At a glance

Role
the narrator and Gloria's dance partner
Pressure
The aspiring director who narrates the marathon and Gloria's death.
Goal
To find film work and help Gloria survive.
Story turn
He shoots Gloria at her request and is sentenced to death.

Who they are in the book

Spoiler-free

Robert Syverten is the narrator and gloria's dance partner. The aspiring director who narrates the marathon and Gloria's death.

The character wants to find film work and help gloria survive.. That desire is tested by a contest whose rules reward spectacle rather than care.

He shoots Gloria at her request and is sentenced to death. The outcome clarifies what the marathon takes from people and what its organizers can turn into entertainment.

How the book draws them

Appearance, manner, and tone — as the book sketches them, in our words.

  • Rolethe narrator and Gloria's dance partner
  • PressureThe aspiring director who narrates the marathon and Gloria's death.
  • GoalTo find film work and help Gloria survive.
  • Story turnHe shoots Gloria at her request and is sentenced to death.
  • ExpressionThe face should register to find film work and help gloria survive. without becoming theatrical.
  • Place in the novelRobert Syverten keeps the social argument attached to one exhausted body.
What happens to Robert SyvertenHow the book leaves them, what happened after, and what the record says. Open when you're ready.

He shoots Gloria at her request and is sentenced to death.

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