Galen Vachon is a mulatto, or an individual of mixed ancestry where at least one-half of the individual's ethnic background is African American. Hester Wyatt is described as a dark-skinned, full-blooded African American. I find it interesting that Beverly Jenkins decided to include this brief, inner monologue within the text given that she also places somewhat of an emphasis on the difference between the skin of Wyatt and Vachon. I see it as an indication of how both Wyatt and Vachon challenge societal standards with their very relationship. Wyatt also serves as an early historical example of a feminist woman with ideas contrasting the conventional thinking of her time. She has “never condoned the attitudes of those who took it upon themselves
