Let the Circle Be Unbroken: Analysis of Major Characters
"Let the Circle Be Unbroken" is a novel that explores the struggles of the Logan family during the 1930s in the racially charged environment of the American South. Central to the narrative is Cassie Logan, a young girl grappling with the harsh realities of segregation and racial injustice. She is proud of her heritage but faces emotional turmoil from events such as the execution of her friend T.J. and her brother Stacey's impulsive decisions. The family is anchored by David Logan, known as Papa, who embodies a traditional yet hardworking father figure striving to maintain their small farm amid exploitation by powerful white landowners, particularly Harlan Granger. Other key characters include Stacey, who becomes increasingly despondent over personal losses, and Suzella Rankin, a light-skinned cousin whose mixed heritage complicates her relationship with the Logans. Mama, Cassie's mother, serves as a nurturing and resilient presence, balancing teaching and farming responsibilities while advocating for justice. Collectively, these characters navigate the challenges of poverty, racial discrimination, and familial bonds, providing a poignant commentary on resilience and identity in a divided society.
Let the Circle Be Unbroken: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Mildred D. Taylor
First published: 1981
Genre: Novel
Locale: Rural Mississippi
Plot: Social realism
Time: The 1930's
Cassie Logan, one of four children in the Logan family. Cassie is old enough to understand segregation and what it means to be black in the South during the 1930's. She has an inquiring mind and wishes to learn more about the Mississippi constitution. Proud of her race, she despises her mulatto cousin, Suzella, who thinks of herself as white. The execution of her friend T. J., her brother Stacey's running away from home, racial hostility in her neighborhood, and the reality of the Depression take their toll on her emotionally. Her parents'nurturing of pride and self-respect and her close family ties, however, help Cassie to survive.
David Logan, called Papa, Cassie's father. Papa is an old-fashioned disciplinarian but a hardworking and considerate father. He tries to support his family on their small farm, but the Agricultural Adjustment Administration (AAA) and the exploitation of poor farmers by powerful white landowners make his cotton cultivation a constant struggle against poverty. He is forced to seek employment out of town to survive. He continually foils the plans of Harlan Granger, who is determined to annex his property through deception.
Harlan Granger, the most powerful of four major white landowners in the county. He thrives in an environment of segregation and prejudice, gets practically anything he wants from the sheriff's office, and is hated by the poor sharecroppers in the county. He is envious of the Logans' four-hundred-acre property and attempts to annex it to his six-thousand-acre estate.
T. J. Avery, a young black friend of the Logans. T. J. is tried and executed for the shooting death of a local merchant, even though the murder was committed by a white boy.
Wade Jamison, T. J.'s white attorney and legal counsel of the Logans. Jamison tries to secure a lesser charge against T. J. during the trial, but the all-white jury scorns Jamison, witnesses stereotype him as a “nigger lawyer,” and the judge treats him disrespectfully. Later, he succeeds in securing the release of Stacey Logan and Moe Turner.
Suzella Rankin, a light-skinned second cousin of the Logans, from New York. Her white mother and black father are separated. She goes to Mississippi to stay with “family” for a while but is despised because she identifies herself with her mother's white heritage. She worsens relations between herself and the Logans by befriending white boys in the neighborhood, but later she is loved by the family.
Stacey Logan, the eldest son in the Logan family. Stacey is devastated by the execution of his friend T. J. and becomes more depressed when Papa leaves home in search of work. At the age of fourteen, he and Moe Turner, a friend, run away to find work on a Louisiana cane field, leaving the Logans to undertake a long search before they find the boys in detention.
Mama, Cassie's mother. She was born in the Mississippi delta region to a sharecropper. At the age of nineteen, she began teaching in Spokane County and married David Logan. She lost her teaching job because she supported a boycott against the Wallaces, who ran the store on the Granger plantation. Mama assists students with evening lessons, works hard to help sustain the family, and runs the farm in Papa's absence.