Point of View

The story is told through the narration of an eleven year old boy, Elijah, who is the first child to be born free in the Buxton Settlement. Through his narration and dialogue, the story unfolds with the welcome enrichment of Elijah's tender feelings and thoughts, as well as his delightful sense of humor. Elijah's goal is primarily to become more grown up, which in his case means that he will try to stop crying when things upset him, and stop fainting when he is frightened. His family believes he is a "fra-gile" child, and Elijah manages to make progress in the story toward having more courage and becoming less fragile. The story is a running chronicle of a relatively short period of time in which eleven-year old Elijah is challenged and moved by the events around him.

Setting

The story is set, for the most part...