Flight to Canada: Analysis of Major Characters
"Flight to Canada: Analysis of Major Characters" explores the intricate dynamics and motivations of key figures in a narrative centered on the theme of escape from slavery and the quest for identity. The protagonist, Raven Quickskill, is an escaped slave whose flight to Canada instigates the story's events, despite his absence from much of the action. His journey is marked by his aspiration to become a writer, challenging the narratives constructed by white authors and seeking to reclaim his story.
Princess Quaw Quaw Tralaralara, Quickskill's lover and a Native American trapeze artist, grapples with her tumultuous relationship with Yankee Jack, her husband and a figure of exploitation. The character of Arthur Swille, Quickskill's master, is depicted as a powerful and cruel plantation owner, whose tragic demise underscores the darker elements of his character. Uncle Robin emerges as a complex figure, manipulating the plantation's power dynamics for his own benefit while presenting an image of servitude.
Supporting characters, such as Mammy Barracuda, and other escaped slaves like Stray Leechfield and 40s, add layers to the narrative, illustrating varied responses to oppression and the differing priorities among those seeking freedom. Abraham Lincoln’s presence intertwines with the central themes of the Civil War and emancipation, highlighting the political complexities of the era. This analysis invites readers to reflect on the diverse experiences and motivations of individuals fighting against systemic injustice.
Flight to Canada: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Ishmael Reed
First published: 1976
Genre: Novel
Locale: The United States and Canada
Plot: Social satire
Time: During and after the American Civil War
Raven Quickskill, a slave who escaped from Swine'rd, the Virginia plantation of Arthur Swille. Quickskill initiates the action of the novel, even though he is not physically present during most of the book, because the event that sets the action in motion is his escape to Canada. Quickskill's poem “Flight to Canada” makes him famous and causes him to be a target of the Nebraska tracers, a group of slave catchers employed by Swille and other slave owners. When Quickskill discovers that Uncle Robin has inherited the Swine'rd Plantation after the death of Arthur Swille, he returns to America and begins planning a new life as a writer who will write his own life story in an attempt to displace the works of such dissembling white writers as Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of Uncle Tom's Cabin.
Princess Quaw Quaw Tralaralara, a Native American who is Yankee Jack's wife and Quickskill's lover. She is also a show business personality, performing as a trapeze artist and dancer. The princess becomes incensed at Yankee Jack when she discovers that he killed her father in the raid in which she was carried off to become his spouse. She gets to Canada by walking a tightrope backward over Niagara Falls, but she quarrels with Quickskill and leaves him.
Arthur Swille, Quickskill's master. He controls not only the slaves on his plantation but also much of the politics of the United States from his quarters on his Baronial plantation. His life is enlivened by romantic fantasies based on the works of Sir Walter Scott, Edgar Allan Poe, and other Romantic writers. Poe is a frequent houseguest. Swille begins each day by drinking two gallons of slave mothers' milk brought to him by Uncle Robin. Swille dies when his wife, parodying the end of “The Fall of the House of Usher,” pushes him into a fireplace and he burns to death.
Yankee Jack, the princess' husband. He is a robber Baron figure who plunders the country, particularly its minorities, to maintain his expensive lifestyle and his taste for art and fine cuisine.
Uncle Robin, the main house slave at Swine'rd. He seems to be Swille's right-hand man, but he is actually manipulating the plantation owner and turning things to his own advantage. Swille leaves the plantation and his fortune to Uncle Robin in his will. Uncle Robin reveals to Quickskill that he actually wrote the will to benefit himself. He also says that he had been fooling Swille; the mothers' milk was actually a solution of coffee creamer.
Mammy Barracuda, the Aunt Jemima figure to Uncle Robin's Uncle Tom. She keeps the female part of the plantation in line, beating Mrs. Swille and giving her an injection of Valium when the mistress of the house prefers to lie in bed instead of dressing in crinolines, arranging flowers, and making vapid comments in a Southern drawl.
Stray Leechfield, an escaped slave with whom Quickskill flees to Canada. He has no interest in Quickskill's plans to emancipate the rest of the slaves and improve the race but instead tries to make money in the pornographic film business.
40s, another slave, with a missing leg, who escaped to Canada with Quickskill. He hides out in a houseboat and prepares to defend himself with a shotgun.
Abraham Lincoln, the president of the United States. He plays all sides of the Civil War and the emancipation issue. He sneaks behind Confederate lines to borrow money from Swille to keep the war going but tells Uncle Robin that he should write Swille's will to benefit the slaves. The nation watches Lincoln's assassination on television as part of the coverage of the play Our American Cousin.