The Passing of Grandison facts for kids
"The Passing of Grandison" is a short story by Charles W. Chesnutt. It was first published in his book The Wife of His Youth and Other Stories of the Color-Line in 1899. The story is set in the United States in the early 1850s. This was a time when many people in the northern states were against slavery. This movement was called abolitionism. The story also takes place after the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 was passed. This law made it harder for enslaved people to escape to freedom.
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What Is "The Passing of Grandison" About?
This story shows how people's ideas about race and freedom could be challenged. It explores how someone might pretend to be one way, but actually be another. This is a clever way to show how unfair slavery was.
The Story's Main Plot
The story begins with a young man named Dick Owens. He wants to impress a girl named Charity Lomax. Charity tells Dick that she would only marry him if he did something truly brave. Dick decides to help one of his father's enslaved people escape to the North. He thinks this will make him look like a hero. Charity admires a man who tried to help an enslaved person escape. That man failed and died in jail, but Charity still saw him as brave.
Dick plans to take his father's enslaved man, Tom, on a trip North. He believes Tom will try to escape easily. But Dick's father, Colonel Owens, does not agree. The Colonel worries that Tom will run away. He suggests that Dick take Tom's brother, Grandison, instead. Colonel Owens believes Grandison is very loyal and will not try to escape.
Grandison's Journey North
Dick takes Grandison with him on a trip. They visit New York City and Boston. They even go to Niagara Falls, New York, and cross into Canada. At this time, Canada was part of Great Britain, which had ended slavery. Grandison has many chances to escape during the trip. People who were against slavery even try to convince him to run away. But Grandison does not leave.
Dick is surprised that Grandison does not escape. To make it look like he helped Grandison gain freedom, Dick decides to have Grandison kidnapped. This way, Dick can tell Charity he helped Grandison escape.
Grandison's Return and Escape
Four weeks after Dick Owens returns home, Grandison also comes back. This is one week after Dick marries Charity. Grandison is welcomed back as a loyal enslaved person. His return makes Colonel Owens feel even more sure that slavery is right. The Colonel gives Grandison a job as a house servant.
About three weeks later, something surprising happens. Grandison and his whole family disappear. This includes his new wife, his parents, and his three siblings. Colonel Owens is shocked. His belief in the loyalty of enslaved people is shaken. He searches for them. The last time he sees them, they are on a small steamboat. They are crossing Lake Erie toward Canada, where they will finally be free.
Who Are the Characters?
- Grandison is the main character. He is an enslaved man owned by Colonel Owens. He travels North with Dick Owens.
- Dick Owens is Colonel Owens' son. He takes Grandison on a trip, hoping to help him escape. He does this to win the love of Charity Lomax.
- Colonel Owens is a wealthy planter from Kentucky. He is Dick Owens' father. He owns Grandison, Tom, and many other enslaved people.
- Charity Lomax is the woman Dick Owens wants to marry. She encourages him to free an enslaved person to prove his bravery.
- Tom is Grandison's brother. He is also enslaved on the same plantation.
- Betty is an enslaved maid owned by Colonel Owens. She marries Grandison after he returns from the North.
Images for kids
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The collection where "The Passing of Grandison" was first published.
