OVERALL ANALYSIS

CHARACTER ANALYSIS

Dana Franklin

Dana is a strong, independent woman who has made a name for herself as a published author. She is beginning a new marriage with a white man, an unusual relationship in 1976, but even more unacceptable in 1819. Suddenly, at a time when she is most happy and content, she is pulled by the force of Rufus Weylin into the past to save his life. She then faces the horrors of living as a slave and being the object of Rufus' obsessive need for her. However, the reader sees a Dana who learns that she has the strength and the.........

Rufus Weylin

From the very beginning, the reader can see how needy Rufus is. He has an over-indulgent mother and a father who shows him little if any attention. So when he is in trouble or dying, he doesn't think of his parents. Instead, he calls out to someone he sees sitting in a house, unpacking books. Thus is born his......

Kevin Franklin

He is Dana's husband and is a white man in a bi-racial relationship. He has just married her and is moving into their new house with her, when Dana is called to the past. He has a hard time at first believing what has happened right in front of his eyes, but when he is forced back there with Dana, he is in a...........

Tom Weylin

He is the owner of thirty-eight slaves on his plantation and has been conditioned throughout his life to do whatever it takes to keep them in line to work his fields and keep his house. He is very frugal, but does incur debts that mean selling slaves to pay off what he owes. He whips them when they need it and never ........

Alice Jackson

Born a free woman, Alice is one of Rufus' childhood friends. Eventually, he wants more than just friendship from her and she must reach within herself to deal with a life she despises. Early on, she marries Isaac Jackson, one of Judge Holman's slaves, and she runs away with him after he nearly beats Rufus to.........

Sarah, Carrie, and Nigel

These three slaves have a lifetime impact on Dana. Sarah is the mother figure for Dana. She teaches her to cook, gives her advice about living on the plantation, and ultimately shows Dana why so many slaves didn't try to fight back. Fear of a beating, fear of being sold, and fear of losing their families made ........

Margaret Weylin

Rufus' over-indulgent mother and a woman with too much time on her hands, Margaret is, according to Sarah and eventually Dana, a bitch. She runs her household with an iron hand and like her husband, has been conditioned to believe that blacks are not human, but just disposable property. Rufus uses her ........

 

The complete study guide is currently available as a downloadable PDF, RTF, or MS Word DOC file from the PinkMonkey MonkeyNotes download store. The complete study guide contains summaries and notes for all of the chapters; detailed analysis of the themes, plot structure, and characters; important quotations and analysis; detailed analysis of symbolism, motifs, and imagery; a key facts summary; detailed analysis of the use of foreshadowing and irony; a multiple-choice quiz, and suggested book report ideas and essay topics.

 

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