The novel Middle Passage by Charles Johnson is about a freed slave named Rutherford Calhoun. Rutherford is arrogant, drinks, gambles and only cares about himself. The novel starts with Rutherford fleeing New Orleans on a ship called the Republic. Rutherford flees to escape getting to married to Isadora. He leaves New Orleans in order to escape from Papa who wants his money back and to also cut ties with Isadora who blackmailed him into marrying her. However, Rutherford accidentally boards a slave ship. This journey starts to change Rutherford. His perspective on life changes and he witnesses and even experiences many more atrocities during his journey on the ship. Calhoun 's time spent on this ship was a major influence in changing him as
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The logs narrate Rutherford 's voyage on board of the Republic and shares terrifying stories about the slave commerce with Africans. What I liked about the novel was the characters. There were many interesting and complex characters. I thought that Rutherford was a really interesting character, his log was able to make the readers comfortable and take us on a journey that would forever change him. He was a thief, a freed slave but yet he became a crew member on a slave ship and told on his shipmates. His actions were questionable and that makes readers want to find out more about him and how his journey ends. He did not let his past define his future. He was adventurous and did what made him happy but as the novel moves on he learns and grows from his journey. The author was able to create characters that readers would enjoy reading about. Another character that I enjoyed reading about was captain Falcon. He was different from all the other crew members.
Captain Falcon 's imperialistic ideas, the slave mutiny, and the white crew 's revolt, acts of cannibalism, the destructive effects of a storm, and finally blacks ' enslavement. In his travels, Rutherford learns how to question his own assumptions, discover his roots, and mostly how to live with alterity and see himself and his culture as
The logs narrate Rutherford 's voyage on board of the Republic and shares terrifying stories about the slave commerce with Africans. What I liked about the novel was the characters. There were many interesting and complex characters. I thought that Rutherford was a really interesting character, his log was able to make the readers comfortable and take us on a journey that would forever change him. He was a thief, a freed slave but yet he became a crew member on a slave ship and told on his shipmates. His actions were questionable and that makes readers want to find out more about him and how his journey ends. He did not let his past define his future. He was adventurous and did what made him happy but as the novel moves on he learns and grows from his journey. The author was able to create characters that readers would enjoy reading about. Another character that I enjoyed reading about was captain Falcon. He was different from all the other crew members.
Captain Falcon 's imperialistic ideas, the slave mutiny, and the white crew 's revolt, acts of cannibalism, the destructive effects of a storm, and finally blacks ' enslavement. In his travels, Rutherford learns how to question his own assumptions, discover his roots, and mostly how to live with alterity and see himself and his culture as