Who is Hijohn from The Fifth Sacred Thing and what is their importance? The_Fifth_Sacred_Thing English & Literature Hijohn | The Fifth Sacred Thing

One of the rebel leaders of the south, Hijohn is first introduced as a prisoner near death, thrown into Bird's cell. Bird helps heal Hijohn's wounds and, along with Littlejohn , the three escape prison. When Madrone heads south in the second half of the novel, she reconnects with Hijohn. Again, he is near death, this time from the common cold. Madrone notes that Hijohn is unable to fend off even a minor illness because of the harsh living conditions of Hijohn and the hillboys. Most notably, there is very limited access to water. Hijohn and Madrone are sexually intimate, an act that serves to distance Madrone from one of the only friends she makes on her journey south, Katy, Hijohn's pregnant lover.