Freewater

Ada is Homer’s seven-year-old sister, implied to be the daughter of Mr. Crumb and with whom Homer escapes Southerland plantation. She is imaginative, not yet knowing the limits of what’s possible, and thus believes in monsters and flying. Her belief in monsters illustrates The Challenges of Enslavement and Escape, as the siblings need to look out for “monsters” like snakes during their journey to Freewater, as well as enslavers like Crumb and Stokes. On the other hand, her belief in flying illustrates The Power of Hope. Enslavement relies on framing freedom as impossible, but despite abuse by Mrs. Crumb in particular and other obstacles, Ada retains her innocence.

Rose is Homer and Ada’s mother, who was caught during their first escape attempt from Southerland plantation while returning for Anna. She’s protective of her children and raised Nora, the Crumbs’ rejected youngest daughter. While housework was preferred to fieldwork for enslaved people, she still faces challenges as a cook. Rose was sexually assaulted by Crumb in the past and is beaten for her escape attempt, yet still pressured to cook for Viola, the Crumbs’ eldest daughter who is getting married. When Nora offers a chance to run, she declines, refusing to leave without Homer and Ada—who eventually rescue her.

Anna is Homer’s friend at Southerland plantation, who assumes herself to be 12. She was separated from her mother as a baby and has been sold many times. She wishes to escape North to reunite with her mother, believing in the power of her arrow-shaped scar—which was likely inflicted by her mother as a message. Anna’s hope is the reason she keeps getting resold, as it makes plantation owners “uncomfortable.” While she and Homer promised to share ways to escape, he and Ada escape early at their mother’s behest, and Anna is left to make her own plan. She attempts to escape during Viola’s wedding, with the help of a sleep-inducing concoction, but ends up leaving with the help of Nora’s supplies, freedom pass, and defense against overseer Stokes. Upon leaving, Anna shares a final farewell with Homer.

The Crumbs are the plantation family at Southerland: Mr. Crumb, Mrs. Crumb, Viola, and Nora. Mr. Crumb is a typical plantation owner who makes money at the expense of enslaved people. Nora considers her father more “reasonable” than other white men, but this bias belies his complicity in an inhumane system—which includes his sexual assault of Rose. Mrs. Crumb is a typical plantation wife who abuses Rose and Ada in particular out of frustration with her husband’s infidelity, his assault. Although the Crumbs are wealthy, she constantly fusses over superfluous details. Likewise, the Crumbs’ eldest daughter Viola is selfish and superficial, prioritizing her wedding over others’ well-being. Nora, the youngest daughter, is the only family member whose thoughts and feelings are shown in her own chapters. She selectively doesn’t speak and initially shares some of her family’s beliefs, but slowly changes. Her family rejected her because of the octopus-like birthmark on her face, with her having been raised by Rose as a result. This position allows Nora to reevaluate her family and Stokes’s violence against enslaved people, as she originally saw Rose’s family as “different” and thus, worthy of compassion.

The self-named Turner was once Two Shoes, an enslaved person at Southerland plantation who directly served the Crumbs. He received the nickname “Two Shoes” because of his shoes, hand-me-downs from Crumb himself. Southerland’s enslaved people argue the shoes aided his escape, but in reality, he joined Freewater as a spy—hoping to reveal its location to Crumb in exchange for his son, Desmond, who was sold elsewhere. However, in order to protect Freewater, Turner lets go of Desmond and instead retrieves his wife, Sally, and daughter, Minnie, from Southerland—having been convinced by Homer to enjoy freedom with what’s left of his family. The name “Turner” implies his duplicitous nature, but also change or evolution, as he is very much a victim of enslavement regardless of his special treatment by the Crumbs.

Suleman is a “loner” who lives in the swamp, guiding formerly enslaved people to Freewater and raiding plantations for supplies. Although he doesn’t live in Freewater, he is considered a friend by the residents; Homer, Ada, and Sanzi in particular see him as a high-flying hero. Like Anna, he was always determined to escape his plantation and suffered abuse after each attempt—losing three fingers in the process. Like Homer and Ada, he knows nothing in the swamp is as monstrous as enslavement, and empowers himself by mastering the swamp and various weapons. At the end of the novel, Suleman comes to the siblings’ aid once more, creating a distraction at Viola’s wedding.

Sanzi is a 12-year-old girl who was born in Freewater to Mrs. Light and David; she is the younger sister of Juna. She’s adventurous and obsessed with Suleman, whom she sees as a hero. Due to being sheltered, she dismisses her mother’s worries and makes selfish decisions such as accidentally starting a fire with her bow and arrows. To make up for this fire, Sanzi joins Homer’s rescue mission, hoping to bring home tools. After seeing plantation life for herself, she realizes the error of her ways, and prioritizes the freedom and safety of her community.