The Salt Eaters: Analysis of Major Characters
"The Salt Eaters" explores the lives of several major characters who embody themes of activism, spirituality, and personal struggle within a vibrant community. Velma Henry is a dedicated civil rights activist and a gifted pianist for The Seven Sisters, a performing arts group. Her commitment to her community is profound, but she faces a personal crisis, leading to a moment of vulnerability that culminates in a suicide attempt. Minnie Ransom serves as a community healer, having embraced her spiritual gifts despite initial resistance, and her character serves as a counterpoint to Velma's struggles. James "Obie" Henry, Velma’s husband, grapples with feelings of loss and infidelity as he witnesses Velma's decline and the disintegration of their shared ambitions. Sophie Heywood, known as M'Dear, seeks to reconnect Velma to her cultural roots and spiritual heritage amid despair over her goddaughter's wellbeing. Fred Holt, a bus driver, reflects on personal loss and the complexities of relationships while contemplating his own path. Lastly, B. Talifero "Doc" Serge adds layers to the narrative with his diverse past and ties to the community. Together, these characters navigate the interplay between personal crises and broader societal challenges, offering a rich tapestry of experiences and perspectives.
The Salt Eaters: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Toni Cade Bambara
First published: 1980
Genre: Novel
Locale: Claybourne, Georgia
Plot: Fable
Time: The 1970's
Velma Henry, a committed civil rights activist and the center of the activist work in her community. When she is away from the Academy of the Seven Arts, a school run by her husband, he reflects that it takes seven people to replace Velma. She is also the talented pianist for The Seven Sisters, a performing arts group, and keeps the group's political and spiritual factions from splitting to pieces. She becomes “uncentered” and falls to pieces herself, however, culminating in a failed suicide attempt.
Minnie Ransom, a community healer, Earth Mother, and vehicle for spiritual forces. Minnie fought the acceptance of her spiritual gift when she was young, as Velma, who has a similar gift, does now. Minnie ate dirt and was called “batty, fixed, possessed, crossed,” but she has come to accept her spiritual powers and use them to heal others.
James “Obie” Henry, Velma's husband, the head of the Academy of the Seven Arts and The Brotherhood. Frightened by the change in Velma, he has been unfaithful to her. Now he misses her in his life and in his work. He feels that he is losing control of his groups and of himself.
Sophie Heywood, also called M'Dear, Velma's godmother. Despairing of Velma being healed, she thinks of her dead husband, Daddy Dolphy, and her son Smitty, left paraplegic from an injury in a civil rights protest. She tries to become the medium through which Velma recenters herself in African goddess traditions.
Fred Holt, a bus driver who takes The Seven Sisters to Claybourne for the festival and waits to take visiting medical people back to the city. He thinks of his dead friend, Porter; he also thinks about his first wife, Wanda, who left him because of her involvement with the Black Muslims, and of his present white wife, who does not understand him. On the way to Claybourne, he thinks about driving the bus off the road into the swamp ooze so that he can see Porter again.
B. Talifero “Doc” Serge, the owner of the Southwest Community Infirmary. He has had many occupations, including those of pimp and numbers man.