Character Analysis Of The Passing Of Grandison

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Grandison The Passing of Grandison was written by a writer by the name of Charles W. Chesnutt, and the main character of this story is a slave man named Grandison. Grandison was unexpectedly receptive, unknowingly deceitful, and an unselfish character in this narrative. Grandison proves to be a receptive person when his master takes him on a trip up north. Dick (his master) believes that Grandison is a very good slave so he tests him to see if he will listen to the abolitionists up north. Grandison acts as if he isn’t listening to them at one point so he hastily walks away from them and speed walks to his master. He stated “dese yer abolitioners is jes persterin’ de life out er me tryin’ ter git me ter run away. I don’ pay no ‘tention …show more content…

He does many things to show that he is deceitful. In his master eyes grandison never committed any wrong doing and they trusted him. When they went up north grandison was confronted with many tempting opportunities to run away and become a free slave. When dick tries to get grandison to commit treason and leaves him their motel for two days with 100 dollars, hoping grandison would try something. Grandison doesn’t go anywhere or spend any money, knowing it was a test so he began to act like the perfect uncle tom for this scenario. Grandison says “Thanky, marster, thanky marster! You is de bes’ marster any nigger ever had in dis worl’(Chesnutt 598).” Grandison fooled colonel and he fooled dick by saying this. The colonel says he believes that grandison is abolitionist proof., getting them to fall for exactly what grandison wanted them to. When grandison and dick went westward, Dick asked him if he knew where he was. Grandison played the uncle tom role as smooth as butter when he stated that, the only thing that mattered was that he was with his master and that was what all he cared about. Unknowingly Dick didn’t understand Grandson’s deceit being carried out from up under his …show more content…

Way back during that time, all slaves were perceived to be gullible and stupid. Grandson’s character showed that even a slave can defy a white man. All black people then were seen as nothing and disposable pieces of meat. African American slaves actually have a brain and they can put the stereotypes bestowed upon them to shame. During the time this was written, black people were still viewed as unequal or as some type of sub species. Who would think your common slave, could disguise himself as an uncle tom trick two white slave plantation owners, remember miles and miles of directions and lead his family to freedom? Nobody in 1899 that is for sure. Grandison basically flipped the script and proved the exact opposite of what a slave could do, just as African Americans are doing today, changing the

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