Guide Mentor

Character Role Analysis

Grandfather

Like slavery as the story's antagonist, this is another one that might throw you for a loop. Grandfather appears in exactly two scenes, and how much sagely wisdom can he possibly dispense with such brief appearances? Plenty, that's how much. In fact, grandfather says one of the most important things anyone tells Isabel in the whole book.

When Isabel comes to the Tea Water Pump and finds the slaves arguing about which side to join, Grandfather says to them:

"You must choose your own side, find your road through the valley of darkness that will lead you to the river Jordan […] Everything that stands between you and freedom is the River Jordan." (26.44, 46)

Here, Grandfather references the story of Joshua in the Bible to prove his point. The Israelites could not enter the Promised Land without crossing the Jordan River, which would forever separate them from their past slavery in Egypt. What Grandfather's saying, in simple terms, is that in order to get to the Promised Land of freedom, Isabel must first overcome the obstacles that will lead her to her own path.

In the end, this is exactly what Isabel does. As she stands on the banks of New Jersey, she even harkens back to Grandfather's words, telling Curzon, "I think we just crossed the River Jordan" (45.45). Grandfather's time in her story may be brief, but it's clear that Isabel never forgets Grandfather's words of advice.