The Chaneysville Incident: Analysis of Major Characters
"The Chaneysville Incident: Analysis of Major Characters" explores the intricate lives of key figures within a narrative focused on race, history, and personal discovery. Central to the story is John Washington, a young black history professor who returns to his hometown to support his dying friend, Jack Crawley. Throughout this journey, John confronts his family's history, particularly the tragic stories of his father, Moses Washington, and his great-grandfather, C. K. Washington.
Moses, a bootlegger feared by both black and white communities, grapples with the weight of his family's past, leading to his tragic suicide that is shrouded in mystery. C. K., a former slave, embodies resilience and sacrifice as he navigates the horrors of his time, ultimately choosing death over returning to slavery. The narrative also includes Peter John Crawley, a wise elder who becomes a father figure to John, instilling in him a complex relationship with his racial identity and the broader societal context. Judith Powell, John's girlfriend, represents a different perspective, challenging John's distrust of white people and urging him to confront his past. Together, these characters illuminate the themes of legacy, identity, and the quest for understanding within a racially charged environment.
The Chaneysville Incident: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: David Bradley
First published: 1981
Genre: Novel
Locale: Pennsylvania
Plot: Psychological realism
Time: The late 1970's, 1930–1965, and pre-colonial days to the twentieth century
John Washington, a history professor and scholar. A cynical young black man of about thirty, John returns to his home-town to comfort a dying friend, Jack Crawley, and ends up reevaluating his own life when he finally understands the circumstances surrounding the deaths of his father, Moses Washington, and his great-grandfather, C. K. Washington. the beginning of this insight occurs when, after Crawley's funeral, John is presented with the folio bequeathed to him earlier, in his father's will. the contents of the folio, along with other clues left by Moses, guide John through a historical puzzle and eventually help him find peace and meaning in his own life.
Moses Washington, John's father, a bootlegger with enough information to blackmail all the rich white townspeople, who spurn the impoverished black community banished to the Hill. A powerful man within the district, he is feared by both blacks and whites, even though he keeps to himself, spending most of his time tramping through the Pennsylvania hills and checking on the status of his numerous stills. His suicide, mistaken as a murder, is disguised as a hunting accident to prevent an investigation from accidentally uncovering the folio, believed to contain dangerous evidence incriminating the town officials. Moses, like his son, John, is preoccupied with history and struggles to learn the truth about his ancestors. He possesses his grandfather's diary, but the book ends abruptly, and he becomes obsessed with learning what happened to C. K. Eventually, he learns the truth, and the reality brings about his suicide when John is nine years old.
Brobdingnag C. K. Washington, John's great-grandfather, a runaway slave. A self-educated man, he is literally branded C. K. by his master as a punishment. He uses his knowledge to forge himself a pass and manages to escape. In Pennsylvania, he falls in love with a free black woman, Harriette Brewer, who shares his dream of helping other slaves become free. On her first attempt, though, she is caught and sold into slavery. C. K. makes numerous trips to the South trying to find her and becomes infamous for the number of slaves he helps, but he is unable to locate her. Eventually, he marries another woman, who gives birth to Lamen, Moses' father. C. K. is finally caught while helping twelve runaways. Rather than return to slavery, the thirteen people kill themselves, believing that they will reach eternal freedom through death. It is at C. K.'s grave that Moses kills himself.
Peter John (Old Jack) Crawley, “the old man with the stories.” Jack, one of Moses Washington's only close friends, becomes a surrogate father to John after Moses' death. He teaches John how to coexist with nature, inspires in him a predilection for hot toddies, and keeps alive memories of Moses for the boy. Because of personal experiences with the Ku Klux Klan, he also cultivates within John a deep suspicion of white people. That distrust causes the young academic to lead a lonely and cold life.
Judith Powell, a psychiatrist. Lovely and graceful like a ballerina, she is emotional, persistent, and stubborn. Although she is John's girlfriend, he has a difficult time trusting her because she is white. She follows him to his hometown and badgers him until he confides in her his struggle to understand C. K., Moses, and himself.