New Day: Analysis of Major Characters
"New Day: Analysis of Major Characters" focuses on the intricate dynamics of key figures involved in the historical context of the 1865 Morant Bay Rebellion in Jamaica. Central to the narrative is Davie Campbell, a passionate youth who, despite his privileged background, identifies with the struggles of the black population and is driven to fight against systemic injustices. His father, Pa John Campbell, upholds traditional values and a staunch belief in British justice, leading to a tense relationship with Davie as well as a tragic fate in the uprising's aftermath.
Lucille Dubois, Davie's wife, represents a contrasting perspective, advocating for gradual change and ultimately becoming a victim of her husband's fanaticism and the societal upheaval. Through the character of Johnny Campbell, Davie's younger brother, the novel conveys a rich oral history, capturing the family's legacy across generations. Other pivotal characters include the fiery leader Paul Bogle, who symbolizes the radical push for independence, and the next generations, like John Creary Campbell and Garth "Son-Son" Campbell, who navigate their inherited wealth and social responsibilities in a changing Jamaica. This exploration of character relationships provides profound insights into themes of identity, resistance, and the quest for justice within the broader struggle for political and social change.
New Day: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Victor Stafford Reid
First published: 1949
Genre: Novel
Locale: Jamaica
Plot: Historical
Time: 1865–1944
David (Davie) Campbell, Pa John Campbell's son and a participant in the 1865 Morant Bay Rebellion. Tall, blond-haired, and light-skinned, he identifies himself with the black population and calls for the fulfillment of the promises made at emancipation several decades earlier. Rebelling against the injustices of the legal system and the exploitation of poor blacks by white estate owners, Davie, at the age of nineteen, defies his conservative father and joins the radical group headed by Paul Bogle. Hot-blooded and daring, he is willing to use force to achieve his aims but is angered by Bogle's lack of a coherent strategy and the useless violence that results. Davie escapes with his fiancée, Lucille, and brother Johnny to an isolated cay after the abortive uprising on Jamaica. He later returns to Jamaica, makes an impressive appearance before the Royal Commission investigating the rebellion, and is granted a pardon and a lease to the cay, which he names “Salt Savannah” after his childhood home. He marries Lucille and establishes a thriving community on the cay but becomes increasingly like his austere and religious father. He renames the cay “Zion” and, despite his wife's unhappiness because of his fanaticism, obsessively attempts to eliminate what he sees as idleness and frivolity. He is killed in the 1874 hurricane.
Pa John Campbell, a near-white farmer and headman on the estate of George William Gordon. A deeply religious member of the Church of England and a stern, iron-willed disciplinarian, he attempts to teach his seven children to obey the Bible and respect established authority. A tall, powerful man and a natural leader who tries to mind his own business, he is violently opposed to his son Davie's association with the radical and, to his mind, wicked Paul Bogle. Pursued by the authorities in the mistaken belief that he had supported Bogle's uprising, Pa John stubbornly clings to a naïve faith in British justice and the protection afforded by his own righteousness. Hoping to halt the slaughter of innocents by talking to the governor, he is shot down by English soldiers. His son Emmanuel dies with him.
Johnny Campbell, Davie's youngest brother and the novel's dialect-speaking narrator. He is the principal witness of his family's turbulent history between 1865 and 1944. As a child, he is mischievous, inquisitive, plucky, and totally devoted to Davie. Reared by Davie and Lucille after the death of his parents, Johnny (with the help of Timothy M'Laren) in turn rears Davie's son, John Creary Campbell, and eventually his grandson, Garth. In his old age, Johnny is the respected custodian of his family's wealth, wisdom, and social values.
Lucille Dubois, Davie's near-white wife. The child of Haitians who had to flee their island during the revolution despite their sympathy for the former slaves, Lucille is in favor of gradual rather than revolutionary change. Dark-haired, vivacious, and brave, she is devoted to Davie until, on the cay, his growing fanaticism deprives her of love and laughter. She sees him as more her “overseer” than her husband. After disappearing in a boat during the hurricane that kills Davie, she is forced into prostitution in Cuba. She is later discovered by Johnny, working in a Kingston brothel, the night before she dies in the fire of 1882.
Paul Bogle, a Baptist deacon and a fiery leader of the Morant Bay Rebellion. The Church of England pastor calls Bogle “a black Satan in human form preaching sedition against …our Queen.” More hot-tempered and reckless than George William Gordon (the near-white and socially prominent landowner and public official who also seeks justice and relief for the poor and hungry black population), Bogle threatens insurrection, secession from the British Empire, and political independence. Bogle's confrontation with the authorities is mishandled and leads to killing on both sides. The brutal military repression that follows results in the death of hundreds. Bogle and Gordon are summarily executed, and Jamaica reverts to Crown Colony status.
John Creary Campbell, Davie and Lucille's son, born in 1872 and reared by Johnny and Timothy M'Laren. Uninterested in his family's history and with neither a social vision nor his parents' high spirits, he is a colorless but successful businessman who adds to his family's wealth. His marriage to a snobbish Englishwoman isolates him from Johnny. He and his wife, Magda, die in the smallpox epidemic of 1920.
Garth “Son-Son” Campbell, the son of John Creary Campbell, born in 1913 and reared by Johnny and Timothy after the death of his parents. Tall, strong, and white-appearing, Garth is thought to resemble his grandfather Davie. Garth takes delight in learning of his family's and country's past and has a passion for helping the common people of Jamaica. After attending Cambridge and Gray's Inn, Garth returns to Jamaica, where he becomes a successful lawyer and estate owner. He promotes union organization, even among his own workers, and goes on to form a labor party with the support of British socialists. His representations to a Royal Commission lead directly to the granting in 1944 of a new constitution, an important final step toward Jamaican political independence.
Carlos Fernandez, Garth's Cuban-born cousin, a labor organizer. Similar to Garth in stature and appearance, he initially works with Garth but is more headstrong, flamboyant, and self-glorifying. He quarrels with Garth and, along with his supporters, quits Garth's newly formed political party.