Summary

• Reacher's distinction between hobo and vagrant is historically significant - it traces back to the American Civil War and the lifestyle of veterans.
• The term hobo refers to someone who travels and seeks work, while vagrant implies homelessness and unemployment.
• Being called a hobo is vital to Reacher's character, as it aligns with his military background and establishes him as a noble loner in a literary tradition.

In Reacher season 1, the titular protagonist is very particular about being referred to as a "hobo" rather than a vagrant, and there's an important historical reason why. Based on the Jack Reacher book series by Lee Child, the Amazon Prime Video series chronicles the former military policeman's mission to unearth the identity of his brother's killer. While his investigation understandably takes center stage, Reacher is also notable for its close attention to correct terminology — a key aspect of the main character from the books as well as the show.

In both the original novels and the Amazon series, Jack Reacher takes umbrage with anyone who misidentifies him as a vagrant. A prime example of this is seen in a season 1 exchange between Willa Fitzgerald's Roscoe Conklin and Alan Ritchson's Reacher, in which Roscoe describes following Reacher through town akin to "babysitting some giant vagrant". After a frosty exchange, Reacher later corrects her, stating, "for the record, I'm not a vagrant. I'm a hobo." At first glance, the clarification may seem unnecessary. However, the vagrant vs. hobo distinction is incredibly important for Reacher.

Reacher is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.

Reacher Describes Himself As A "Hobo" Because Of His Lifestyle

The Hobo Vs. Vagrant Debate Is Explained Well In Reacher

For Jack Reacher, hobo and vagrant aren't interchangeable , and mean very different things. The reason that Reacher is so concerned with his categorization as a hobo is that it has a very different historical connotation to a vagrant. Tracing its origins back to the American Civil War, the term "hobo" originally traces back to veterans returning from the front line, using the newly established rail networks to travel to different parts of the country.

In modern parlance, the word typically refers to a wanderer or drifter who moves from place-to-place seeking work rather than remaining sedentary. This willingness to travel is a crucial aspect of Jack Reacher's character, both on screen and in the original novels.

By contrast, describing someone as a vagrant actually has significantly more negative implications. According to Merriam-Webster, the term denotes "one who has no established residence and wanders idly from place to place without lawful or visible means of ". This association with criminality and the implication of unemployment is at odds with Reacher's perception of himself. As such, it's understandable that Reacher pushes back on being described as a vagrant.

Reacher Being A Hobo And Not A Vagrant Is Vital To His Character

The Vagrant Vs. Hobo Distinction Matters A Lot To Reacher

Correctly identifying Reacher as a hobo is not just technically accurate, it helps the audience understand a key aspect of his character. For starters, the term's early military connotations are especially appropriate, given Reacher's military police background. Secondly, the affiliation with "hobo" as a term helps establish Reacher as part of a long literary tradition of noble loners.

Author Lee Child himself has regularly referred to the character as a "knight-errant" (via Time) — a pseudo-mythic medieval concept of a roving knight who would patrol the countryside performing noble deeds. As such, given that Reacher, for all his flaws, is still a hero, his insistence on being called a "hobo" in Reacher makes perfect sense.