Character Analysis
Coop is the reverend in Danville, but he has to supplement his preaching income by working in the freight yard. He takes Milkman into his home, without ever having met him before, delighted at the idea of making a connection with the grandson of Macon Dead, Sr. (a.k.a. Jake), the legendary creator of Lincoln’s Heaven. Coop and his wife treat Milkman with the greatest hospitality, helping him find his way to the cave and to the Butler house.
The Reverend has experienced great racism and many acts of intolerance. He has a huge scar on his neck from having been trampled upon by a police horse when he marched in the Armistice Day parade in Philadelphia after World War I. Milkman perplexes him with his beliefs in equality and justice.