Oxherding Tale: Analysis of Major Characters
**Oxherding Tale: Analysis of Major Characters** explores complex themes of identity, ambition, and moral dilemmas through its multifaceted characters. The protagonist, Andrew Hawkins, is a young slave of mixed heritage who strives for freedom, not only for himself but also for his father, stepmother, and beloved Minty. His education under Ezekiel Sykes-Withers equips him with a sophisticated intellect, which complicates his pursuit of liberty due to his ability to pass as white.
Key figures include George Hawkins, Andrew's father, whose fall from grace after an affair leads to strife within the family, while Mattie, Andrew's stepmother, embodies a blend of nurturing and moral rigidity. Minty, a seamstress, represents both love and motivation for Andrew's quest, highlighting personal stakes in the broader fight against slavery. The character of Flo Hatfield adds layers of danger and exploitation, as she represents the seductive yet perilous nature of power dynamics in slavery. Other characters, like Reb the Coffinmaker and Horace Bannon, further enrich the narrative with perspectives on survival and the stark realities of manhunting. Together, these characters navigate a world rife with conflict, loyalty, and the quest for dignity amidst oppression, inviting readers to reflect on the historical and emotional landscapes of the time.
Oxherding Tale: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Charles Johnson
First published: 1982
Genre: Novel
Locale: South Carolina
Plot: Bildungsroman
Time: 1843–1865
Andrew Hawkins, the main character and the novel's narrator. Andrew is a young slave of mixed blood whose driving ambition is to acquire his freedom and earn enough money to buy the freedom of his father, his stepmother, and his beloved Minty. Rigorously educated by his own tutor, Andrew is exceptionally intelligent and sophisticated. The moral decisions that he must make during his quest for freedom are complicated by the fact that he is light-skinned enough to pass as white. At the age of twenty, he leaves the cotton plantation where he was reared in hopes of securing freedom. His story is thereafter a series of episodic adventures that ultimately lead to his compromised freedom.
George Hawkins, Andrew's father, a butler at Cripplegate, a South Carolina cotton plantation. George enjoys an easy camaraderie with his master, Jonathan Polkinghorne; the two men often drink together. One night, after having shared considerable amounts of wine and beer, Jonathan suggests that they retire to each other's beds. As a result, George conceives Andrew with his master's wife, who disavows her son after giving birth. George is thereafter banished from the house and demoted to oxherding, losing his respected standing among the slaves and sinking into a disgruntled torpor.
Mattie Hawkins, George's wife and Andrew's stepmother. Mattie takes the infant George into her home and treats him as her own. A deeply religious woman, she turns permanently cold toward George after his infidelity.
Ezekiel Sykes-Withers (ee-ZEE-kee-ehl), Andrew's tutor. Ezekiel is hired by Polkinghorne to increase Andrew's value by educating him. From Andrew's fifth year until Ezekiel's premature death seven years later, Ezekiel guides Andrew through such a rigorous course of study that Andrew reads Latin and Greek and can discuss all the Eastern and Western philosophers at the age of ten.
Minty, a seamstress and the daughter of the maid of the plantation. By falling extravagantly in love with Minty, Andrew finds a mission in life: to attain freedom for himself in order to buy Minty's freedom later.
Flo Hatfield, a middle-aged widow and farm owner. Flo has inherited the five-hundred-acre farm, Leviathan, to which Andrew is sent by Polkinghorne. Flo often picks a young male slave from the fields to live for a while in the house and to serve as her lover. After a few weeks, these young men usually die of mysterious causes but are reported as escaped. Andrew, having become Flo's lover, lasts longer than most, inspiring declarations of freedom from Flo, but he is sent from Leviathan to the mines after losing his temper following her refusal to pay his wages.
Reb the Coffinmaker, the hardworking carpenter at Flo Hatfield's farm. Reb is spiritually astute yet pragmatic. He maintains a peaceful and steady existence at Leviathan until he is moved to plead Andrew's case to Flo after Andrew strikes her. He and Andrew are sent to work in the mines, but Andrew improvises their escape by passing as white.
Horace Bannon, called the Soulcatcher, a sadistic manhunter who works often for Flo Hatfield and who is sent on the trail of Andrew and Reb. Bannon's method of manhunting is to identify with his prey, even to become his prey in some sense. Bannon hovers ominously over Andrew's new life, but he ultimately sets Andrew free after having killed George Hawkins. Having “become” George Hawkins, he will not then murder his son.
Peggy Undercliff, Andrew's white bride. A well-read and witty young woman, Peggy is charmed by the appearance of Andrew in Spartanburg, a town devoid of interesting conversationalists. Peggy gives birth to Andrew's daughter and achieves with Andrew a comfortable domesticity.
Dr. Gerald Undercliff, a Spartanburg physician. A soured and lonely widower, he learns that Andrew has lied about his past but does not suspect that he is a runaway slave. Under-cliff threatens to expose Andrew unless Andrew marries his daughter.