Elijah Of Buxton
Elijah of Buxton: Developing into a Man
“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear” (Nelson Mandela). These words perfectly describe Elijah Freeman’s character development in the novel Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis, as Elijah takes part in extreme acts of courage to free a baby from slavery. As a free baby, Elijah did not experience slavery and oftentimes he does not understand the importance and significance of the freedom. However as the story goes on, he realizes the struggles that black Americans went through as slaves to rich white people. His journey portrays character development from a fragile, naïve and fearful little boy to a courageous and mature man. Elijah’s character is developed while attempting to balance his ideals with the reality of 1800 slavery. This is shown through his actions, his opinions, and his interaction with other characters.
On quoting the famous saying of “actions speak louder than words,” Elijah illustrates character development through his activities and his reactions in different situations. Elijah shows that he is developing into a fearless man when he reads the letter to Mrs. Holton addressed from America. The people of the settlement are aware that the mail from America symbolizes bad news especially because Mrs. Holton was in Buxton without her husband. Elijah is scared of death and immediately cringes on the talk of death; however he becomes aware of the reality that death occurs in American slavery. Elijah is realizing that slaves are constantly going through physical torture and sometimes the body is not able to endure that torture, “I hadn’t cried nor let my voice get shake-ity nor even sniffled whilst I was reading the letter to Mrs. Holton” (pg. 199). It shows character development as Elijah is aware that he had to become more mature and calm to complete this
“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear” (Nelson Mandela). These words perfectly describe Elijah Freeman’s character development in the novel Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis, as Elijah takes part in extreme acts of courage to free a baby from slavery. As a free baby, Elijah did not experience slavery and oftentimes he does not understand the importance and significance of the freedom. However as the story goes on, he realizes the struggles that black Americans went through as slaves to rich white people. His journey portrays character development from a fragile, naïve and fearful little boy to a courageous and mature man. Elijah’s character is developed while attempting to balance his ideals with the reality of 1800 slavery. This is shown through his actions, his opinions, and his interaction with other characters.
On quoting the famous saying of “actions speak louder than words,” Elijah illustrates character development through his activities and his reactions in different situations. Elijah shows that he is developing into a fearless man when he reads the letter to Mrs. Holton addressed from America. The people of the settlement are aware that the mail from America symbolizes bad news especially because Mrs. Holton was in Buxton without her husband. Elijah is scared of death and immediately cringes on the talk of death; however he becomes aware of the reality that death occurs in American slavery. Elijah is realizing that slaves are constantly going through physical torture and sometimes the body is not able to endure that torture, “I hadn’t cried nor let my voice get shake-ity nor even sniffled whilst I was reading the letter to Mrs. Holton” (pg. 199). It shows character development as Elijah is aware that he had to become more mature and calm to complete this