Jubilee (1966)

Jubilee (1966) is a historical novel written by Margaret Walker, which focuses on the story of a biracial slave during the American Civil War. It is set in Georgia and later in various parts of Alabama in the mid-19th century before, during, and after the Civil War.

Plot summary

Jubilee is the semi-fictional story of Vyry Brown, based on the life of author Margaret Walker's great-grandmother, Margaret Duggans Ware Brown. Vyry Brown is a mixed-race slave—the unacknowledged daughter of her master—who is born on the Dutton plantation in Georgia. The novel follows her experiences from early childhood to adult life.

The story of Vyry's life in the novel spans three major periods of American history: Slavery, the Civil War, and Reconstruction.

Characters

Sis Hetta—Vyry's mother. A slave who is regularly raped by slave owner John Dutton, she dies in the novel's opening chapter at the age of 29, when Vyry is a very small child; she has 15 children.

Caline, May Liza, and Lucy—servants in the big house who work with Aunt Sally and Vyry. Lucy is Vyry's older half sister, by Hetta's slave husband. After being beaten and branded for running away, Lucy succeeds in escaping to freedom.

John Morris Dutton—"Marse" or "Marster John," owner of the Dutton Plantation. His slave mistress, Sis Hetta, is Vyry's mother. He never recognizes Vyry as his offspring and refuses to set her free by letting her marry a freedman, instead promising to set her free in his will – a promise that never materializes. Later embarks on a political career, and dies from injuries in carriage accident.

Miss Salina—"Big Missy", the wife of Marse John and mother of his two legitimate children. She is cruel to the slaves, particularly to Vyry, whose obvious descendance from her husband is an affront to herself and her daughter Lillian, born at the same time as Vyry.

Vyry—Elvira Dutton, the protagonist of the novel. She is a dynamic main character. Vyry is the daughter of Sis Hetta, who dies as the novel opens, and her master, John Dutton. She is a slave, but her skin is so fair she can "pass" as white. She is a solemn, generous woman who in the course of her life acquires many skills that will be essential to her survival, while rendering service to others: she is an herborist, a cook, a seamstress and a midwife.

Aunt Sally—a house slave on the Dutton Plantation. She is the cook and teaches Vyry her recipes. She acts as a mother to Vyry.

Grandpa Tom—a black slave who works on the Dutton Plantation. One day he refuses to let Grimes use one of Dutton's finest horses for field work, and is whipped to death by the irate overseer.

Randall Ware—a literate black freedman and a blacksmith. Despite being born free, his liberty is legally conditional on the support of a white "guardian". He promises to marry Vyry and buy her freedom, but Marse John won't permit it. At the onset of the Civil War he joins the Union troops, and the couple are separated.

Jim, Minna, and Harry—Vyry's children.

Miss Lillian—"the little Missy", the daughter of Marse John and Salina. She is about the same age as Vyry, her unacknowledged half sister, whom she strongly resembles. She and Vyry play together when they are little, but Missy Salina eventually separates them when neighbors remark on their resemblance. Unlike her mother, she is not cruel but gullible and easily manipulated. She has two children with Kevin, named Robert and Susan.

Ed Grimes—the overseer on the Dutton Plantation. A white man of poor origin, he is little higher than the slaves on the social ladder, but works them and punishes them mercilessly, killing Grandpa Tom. When the plantation falls into ruin during the war, he joins the Confederate Army and later seems to be among the Klansmen who drive Randall Ware from his smithy.

Innis Brown—a slave freed by the war. He meets Vyry at the war's end, protects her from an attacker, and marries her legally as Randall Ware is not present. He is a caring husband, but ultimately alienates his stepson Jim by overworking him.

John Dutton Jr.—son of John Dutton and Miss Salina. He serves in the Confederate Army, gets shot during the war and dies at home.

Brother Ezekiel—"Brother Zeke", a black preacher who helps slaves escape in the underground railroad. A literate man, he helps Vyry and Randall Ware send letters to each other and marries the two.

Kevin McDougall—Miss Lillian's husband and a teacher. Unlike his brother-in-law John, he hates soldiers, war, and the idea of violence, and is sympathetic towards slaves and abolition. He is socially pressured into joining the Confederate military and is killed.

Fanny Crenshaw—John Dutton Jr.'s childhood sweetheart. She takes care of him during his final convalescence, regretting that they were never able to marry.

Setting (location)

The historic novel is set in parts of Georgia and Alabama, such as:

Terrell County, Georgia—where Vyry is born

Lee County, Georgia—where the Dutton Plantation is

Troy, Alabama—where the wagon breaks down and Vyry and Innis settle down and befriend the Jacobsons; Vyry and Innis' house is burned down by the Ku Klux Klan

Luverne, Alabama—a very poor town that Vyry and Innis passed through

Greenville, Alabama—where Vyry and Innis live permanently, and Vyry sells goods in the marketplace

Selma, Alabama—where Randall Ware says he will take Jim to school

Setting (time)

1835–1870

Historical events (chronological order)

Before the Civil War, the Bible was quoted to justify slavery as a natural and righteous state. Slaves meanwhile identified with the Old Testament Hebrew slaves who were liberated by Moses. Jubilee follows the course of the Civil War and Reconstruction, where violence by the Ku Klux Klan was unfortunately common. Specific events from this historical novel (in chronological order) include:

1857: The South was victorious in the Dred Scott case.

March 4, 1861: Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated the sixteenth president of the United States. (184)