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Emancipation Proclamation
Emancipation ProclamationEmancipation ProclamationThis document demanded that all people being held as slaves were to be freed. This is significant to Jane because she is now officially free. This leads to Jane's departure. Jane and a group of other freed slaves leave, and head north. "Them papers say I'm free, free like everybody else." This is what Jane says -
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Jane's Life
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The Patrollers
After traveling a couple of months the group that Jane is with gets attacked by patrollers. Patrollers are a group of southern racists that kill freed men. Jane and a little boy named Ned are the only survivers. Ned's mother was Big Laura. She also protected Jane. This leaves Jane all alone with Ned. They set off by themselves, still looking for Ohio. "Big Laura hollered at me to grab Ned and run."(20) -
The Man whose name was Job
After walking for what seemed like forever, Jane and Ned come across and old man whose name was Job. Job brings them home, feeds them, and lets them sleep. his wife wasn't happy, so the next day he brought them to a plantation owned by a man named, Mr. Bone. "Job took us to his house."(54) -
Ned Leaves Home
Ned is now 17 or 18 years old. He has gotten involved in The Freedom Rights Bureau. He has to leave because he has been teaching, and the whites around there don't like it. Two men came in looking for Ned and ended up beating Jane. Jane is worried that they are going to kill Ned, so she begs him to leave. "I want you to go, they'll kill you if you stay."(76) -
Joe Pittman
Joe Pittman is living on the same plantation as Jane. They end up moving in together. Jane loves Joe. They don't get officially married, but they decide on living together. Joe breaks horses for a living. One of the horses he is trying to break end up killing him, when Jane lets it out, and he tries to get it. "When Joe Pittman was killed, apart of me went with him to his grave."(98) -
Ned Comes Home
Since Joe Pittman died, Jane has been living on her own. Ned came back shortly after Joe died. Ned came with his wife, Vivian, and their children. He told Jane that he came back to teach. Ned bought a house and started teaching in it at night. The white people had already started to follow him. They knew everywhere he went, and everything he did. "I stood back looking at Ned."(105) -
Frederick Douglass
FrederickFrederick Douglass was an abolitionist in the late 1800's. He was abandoned into slavery when he was a child. He escaped slavery. He is an inspiration to Ned. Ned changes his name to Douglass after Frederick Douglass. All of the things Ned is doing were inspired by Frederick Douglass. "Ned had always believed in Mr. Douglass's teachings, and after he went to that war in Cuba, he believed it even more."(106) -
Albert Cluveau
Albert Cluveau was a Cajun man. he was very similar to a hitman. He killed whoever they told him to. Albert would fish with Miss Jane. He would aslways tell her about the people that he had killed. Jane knew that he was going to end up killing Ned, because the white people didn't like Ned teaching. Albert was real nice to Miss Jane though. He would run errands for her, and chop wood. It might be because he knew he was going to kill her son. "They done killed him."(123) -
Miss Jane's Travels
Miss Jane knows that without Ned all she has is The Lord. Her and Grace decide to try to find religion. When Miss Jane does find religion she has to tell of her travels. She is crossing a river, and all of the significant men in her life are there. They all ffer to take her sack for her, but she knows that she has to carry it on her own. "I Feel light."(142) -
Timmy and Tee Bob
Timmy and Tee Bob Samson are the ons of Robert Samson who owns the plantation that Jane is living on. Timmy is half black. He looks more like his dad than Tee Bob does even though Tee Bob is white. In the end Tee Bob ends up killing himself because he is in love with a girl who has a little black in her blood. This is just one exxample of the segragation that took place back then. "Looking at Timmy, you looking at noboy but Robert Samson himself"(147) -
Jimmy(The One)
When Jimmy was born everyone was looking for someone to come along that was "The One". They were looking for someone to lead them. Jimmy was a really smart little boy. He read the paper ,and wrote letters for Jane. They Knew it was him. He always knew what to say to Jane when he knew she upset or having a bad day. He meant a lot to Jane. -
Jackie Robinson
RobinsonJackie Robinson was the first African American to play on a major league baseball team. Jackie Robinson was someone that Miss Jane admired. He was her favorite player and she said that he inspired her, because he was one of the few people that stood up for their rights. "If the Dodgers had won, if Jackie had done good, then my day was made."(204) -
The Civil Rights Movement
Civil RightsThe Civil RIghts Movemnts were when a group of Blbacks and sometimes wven whites would have marches or rallies expressing their equal rights. The book ends where Miss Jane is going to a civil rights movement event. Jimmy had planned for a black girl to drink out of the white water fountain, he planned on marching around the jailhouse where she was going to be held. Jimmy ended up getting shot. "They wanted to show the world what the South would do to a nigger just beacuse she wanted a drink"
