Cloudsplitter facts for kids
First edition
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| Author | Russell Banks |
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| Cover artist | Marc Cohen |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Historical novel |
| Publisher | Harper Flamingo |
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Publication date
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March 1998 |
| Media type | Print (hard & paperback) |
| Pages | 768 pp (first edition, hardcover) |
| ISBN | 0-06-016860-9 (first edition, hardcover) |
| OCLC | 37024178 |
| 813/.54 21 | |
| LC Class | PS3552.A49 C57 1998 |
| Preceded by | Rule of the Bone |
| Followed by | Invisible Stranger |
Cloudsplitter is a historical novel written by Russell Banks in 1998. It tells the story of John Brown, a famous abolitionist who fought to end slavery in the United States.
The story is told by John Brown's son, Owen Brown. He looks back on his life from his quiet home in the San Gabriel Mountains of California. Owen starts remembering everything after he gets a letter from Miss Mayo. She is helping Oswald Garrison Villard write a book about John Brown.
The book's title, Cloudsplitter, comes from the Iroquois word "Tahawus." This is the name for Mount Marcy, the tallest mountain in New York State. It's located near the Brown family's old home.
Russell Banks, the author, has lived for many years in Keene, New York. This is close to John Brown's Farm in North Elba, New York.
Contents
Exploring the Story: What Happens in Cloudsplitter?
In 1899, Owen Brown has been living alone for about 30 years. He gets a visit from Miss Mayo, a young woman helping with a book about his father, John Brown. At first, Owen sends her away. But then he changes his mind. He decides to write her a series of letters about his experiences fighting against slavery with his father.
Owen's Early Life and Challenges
Owen shares details about his childhood under his father's care. It was a time filled with difficulties and sadness. Owen's mother died when he was very young. Even though his father was very religious, Owen chose not to believe in God, which upset his father.
One Sunday, when he was young, Owen was supposed to be thinking quietly. Instead, he climbed onto the family home's roof and fell, breaking his arm. This injury caused him to have a permanent disability. When Owen was a teenager, his father lost all his money. This meant the family had to live a life of poverty and move around a lot. A few years later, Owen's youngest sister, Kitty, died from severe burns. When Owen was 24, he became fully dedicated to his father and his fight against slavery. This happened just before the family moved to North Elba, New York.
Life in North Elba and the Underground Railroad
The Brown family moved to North Elba, New York. Here, John Brown had a chance to buy good farmland cheaply. This was in exchange for helping black families from Timbuctoo, New York learn how to farm. Owen felt ashamed because he still wanted a life separate from his father. He also felt uncomfortable around black people, feeling guilty about the history of slavery.
Owen was pressured to stay and began helping his father. They surveyed land and turned their home into a stop on the Underground Railroad. This was a secret network that helped enslaved people escape to freedom. Two black residents from Timbuctoo, Lyman Epps and Eldon Fleete, helped them. Most of the white neighbors of the Browns were against slavery but didn't act. Their minds changed after John Brown helped Samuel and Susan Cannon escape. They were a young couple accused of murdering their white owner.
Epps and Fleete were arrested because people thought they helped the Cannons. John Brown, Owen, and his two older brothers forcefully rescued them from prison. During the fight, Fleete was killed. Two white men, a bounty hunter and a jailer, were hurt by the Browns. John Brown later found out the Cannons never made it to Canada. Sad about this news and Fleete's death, he decided to take Owen on a business trip to England.
John Brown's Radicalization
The trip to England was a disaster. John Brown had to sell his wool for a very low price because of a mistake. Now that he was even more broke, Owen urged his father to forget about business. He wanted his father to focus on his true goal: ending slavery.
When they returned home, Owen and his father learned about a new law called the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. This law made John Brown even more determined to fight. In Springfield, Massachusetts, where his business had failed, he spoke at a black church. He urged people to form a group to defend themselves. About 30 people joined the Browns, promising to use force to protect their community from slave catchers. However, before they could act, John Brown told Owen to go back to North Elba, New York.
Owen's Struggles and Tragedies
Back at the farm, Owen felt very uncomfortable around Lyman and Susan Epps. After Susan had a difficult experience, she and Lyman stopped working for the Browns and went back to Timbuctoo. Owen felt a deep sense of guilt and responsibility regarding Lyman. After John Brown returned, Owen and Lyman became friends again. Owen felt he could have prevented Lyman's death in a hunting accident, blaming himself.
Soon after, Owen was tasked by his father to bring his brother Fred from Springfield, Massachusetts back to North Elba. Instead, Owen decided to go against his father's wishes. He took Fred to Kansas, where his two older brothers, John Jr. and Jason, had moved. They went there for cheap land and to support the fight against slavery.
Fighting in Kansas
In Kansas, Owen was disappointed. He saw that the groups supporting slavery were disorganized. But the groups against slavery kept trying to avoid violence. Eventually, Owen was joined by his father and several of his brothers. Together, they tried to defend their anti-slavery neighbors. They were surprised when politicians kept trying to make peace instead of fighting.
Owen finally urged his father to use violence. He and his brothers killed five pro-slavery settlers in what became known as the Pottawatomie massacre. Owen's older brothers were upset by the killings and decided to leave their father. But John Brown formed a small group of men. They carried out small attacks. Other white men who were against slavery joined them, but most were bothered by the killings. A few years later, in Osawatomie, Kansas, Brown's group was outnumbered by pro-slavery forces. Despite this, Brown managed to capture the entire opposing group.
The Harpers Ferry Raid
John Brown eventually became convinced he needed to raid Harpers Ferry. This place had a large supply of weapons. He believed that once he captured it, white men who wanted to end slavery would join him. He also thought many enslaved people would be inspired to rebel and join his cause.
Before the raid, he met privately with his friend and ally, Frederick Douglass. Douglass did not support Brown's plan. He feared it would fail because he didn't believe white men would risk their lives to free black people. John Brown went ahead with his plan anyway, thinking Douglass would still join him. He told Owen to destroy his papers and wait to meet any escaping enslaved people. Owen did not burn his papers. Instead, he watched as the raid failed. No one came to join Brown and his group. They were overwhelmed by a mob that supported slavery.
Owen later said he felt free after his father was captured.
Key Ideas in Cloudsplitter
Russell Banks explores several important ideas in this long story. Some of the main themes are:
- How strong feelings and living alone can make a story told in a way that might not be fully accurate.
- The results of extreme actions: choosing between violent or peaceful ways to protest.
- The thin line between being mentally healthy and being extremely religious: believing "the Lord speaks to me."
- How very strong family ties can sometimes feel like a type of being trapped.
- Losing one's innocence or childhood beliefs.
- How your actions affect the people around you, like John Brown's impact on his family and friends.
The way Banks tells the story is very thoughtful. It looks closely at each character's moral choices through Owen Brown's eyes. The language Banks uses makes you feel deeply, suggesting that people can find forgiveness by admitting their mistakes. Even though the characters face huge daily challenges, the reader feels sympathy for them because of their strong will. This also brings to mind the simple beginnings of a new country.
Creative Changes in the Story
Russell Banks took some creative freedom with the historical figures in his novel. He clearly states in the beginning that his book is a work of fiction. It should not be seen as a true biography or history book.
Here are some notable differences between what really happened and the fictional events in the book:
- Owen Brown was alive in 1909 in the book, but the real Owen Brown died in 1889.
- Owen went with his father on the trip to England in the book, but not in real life.
- The character Kitty is made up for the story.
- The timeline of the Brown family's move to North Elba, New York is different in the book.
- Owen's interest in Lyman's wife and a pregnant young woman during the England trip is fictional.
- The amount of time Lyman Epps and his wife spent with the Browns is changed. Much of Lyman Epps Sr.'s life, including his age, his wife's name, and when and how he died, was heavily changed for the story.
Awards and Recognition
- Finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award
- Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize
Movie Plans
In 2002, there were reports that Martin Scorsese was going to produce a film version of Cloudsplitter. It was planned to be directed by Raoul Peck for HBO.
