Point of View

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry is told in a first-person, past-tense narrative from Cassie's point of view. Cassie often sneaks out of class or gets up when she's supposed to be in bed, so we see many important events through her eyes. Events Cassie doesn't see are described to us in believable, colloquial dialogue, by TJ, Stacey, or others. Deeply enmeshed in Cassie's point of view, we see the community as she does, shocked at the racism and angry at the injustices she suffers at the hands of Mr. Barnett, Mr. Simms, and others. Although we see only through Cassie's eyes, the author provides information and understanding about racism, violence and the future of this community that Cassie is not yet mature enough to grasp.

Setting

The story is set in the rural community near Strawberry Mississippi, in the parallel worlds of the black and...