David Kelly is an instructor of creative writing and composition at the College of Lake County and Oakton Community College. In this essay he traces the evolution of Seth's family away from the sexist Haitian tradition by focusing on the character of Jerome, who never actually appears in the novel.

It is obvious that the most important character in Joanne Hyppolite's novel Seth and Samona is Seth, the book's narrator. The second most important character is his friend Samona, although, if her name had not been in the title, this would not be so obvious. If her name were left out of the title, readers might be inclined to miss her importance, interpreting her as a strong comic relief and a character who shows Seth something about himself in the end, but not completely crucial if one reads this book as the tale of an immigrant family's...