To truly understand a novel’s round characters, you have to consider their words, thoughts, and actions. These details can slowly develop a character that seemed flat at the beginning of the story into a much rounder character. They can also demonstrate how the character is beginning to change—perhaps as a reaction to previous events in the story.
What clues in Chapter 6 of Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry helped you see the roundness of the novel’s key characters? Study the examples below to make sure you recognized some important clues about each character’s personality.
By the end of Chapter 6, Mama has developed into a bold character who is determined to take a stand while also trying to protect her family. At the very beginning of the novel, she defiantly glues paper over the offensive charts in her children’s textbooks. Later she urges her neighbors to start shopping in Vicksburg rather than give their business to the Wallace store. At the end of Chapter 6, though, Mama persuades Uncle Hammer not to flaunt his wealth in Strawberry and worries that the Logan family will suffer because of his decision to drive across a bridge ahead of a white driver.
Question
Why does Mama react the way she does at the end of Chapter 6? What does this event tell you about Mama?
Mama knows that whoever was in the car at the other end of the bridge will tell people what happened, and white members of the community will get mad and possibly send the nightmen to retaliate. Mama’s reaction to Uncle Hammer’s behavior shows that she is practical as well as bold. She believes that simple expressions of ego, such as beating another driver to a bridge, aren’t worth the very real danger they may cause to the family.
Several times throughout Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, Big Ma reminds her children and grandchildren how hard they’ve had to work to keep their land. Big Ma is proud of this fact and explains to Cassie that she is lucky that her family owns land. One thing Big Ma is not proud of is what happened in Strawberry—even though she knows it was the safest thing to do at that moment. Big Ma does not want Cassie to tell Uncle Hammer about making her apologize to Lillian Jean. Surely enough, as soon as Uncle Hammer finds out, he storms out of the house.
Question
Why does Big Ma try to change the subject so that Cassie won’t tell Uncle Hammer about Lillian Jean and Mr. Simms? What does this event tell you about Big Ma?
Big Ma is a proud woman, and she knows that what Mr. Simms did wasn’t right, but her first priority is to protect her family from physical harm. Big Ma knows her son well and correctly predicts that he will be upset by the incident and will feel that he needs to take matters into his own hands. Big Ma also knows that anything Uncle Hammer does will just create more problems. When author Mildred Taylor describes Big Ma’s actions and reactions, she creates a more rounded character.
Throughout the first half of the novel, Cassie is filled with worry about the nightmen and what they might do to her family. She also frets about the possible consequences of what she and her brothers did to the white children’s school bus. In Strawberry and at Mr. Berry’s home, Cassie sees firsthand how cruel people can be. Regardless of what she has experienced so far, however, Cassie is angry and frustrated when she finds out that Uncle Hammer did not visit Mr. Simms and demand an apology on her behalf.
Question
Why is Cassie so frustrated by Uncle Hammer’s lack of action? What does this event tell you about Cassie?
Cassie has begun to learn some unhappy truths about the world around her. She may realize that the consequences for any act of revenge could be severe, but that does not change her anger and frustration about the situation. Deep down, Cassie wants Mr. Simms to pay for making her feel so miserable and small. Either Cassie is still too young to recognize the seriousness of the threats to her family’s safety, or her emotions are clouding her judgment. Cassie may have to change the way she thinks about the story’s events just to survive, but at this point in the story, it’s all very new to her.
While Cassie considers her older brother a source of strength, information, and good ideas, she also knows that he isn’t always able to conceal his feelings—even when expressing them might get him in trouble. At the very beginning of the novel, Stacey stuffs his clenched fists into his pockets when T.J. teases him about being in Mama’s class. Later, after his friend betrays and embarrasses him at school, Stacey follows T.J. to the Wallace store and starts a fight. And it’s Stacey who organizes a way to disable the school bus when he can no longer contain his frustration about the way things are.
When Cassie tries to vent her frustration about Mr. Simms, however, Stacey tells her she should be grateful that Uncle Hammer changed his mind after taking off in his car. In a serious manner, Stacey explains to Cassie that Uncle Hammer could have gotten himself killed.
Question
What additional information does this interaction reveal about Stacey?
Even though Stacey has a tendency to act on his frustration and desire for revenge when someone does him wrong, he understands the seriousness of the situation facing his family and other African Americans in his community. Unlike Cassie, Stacey has begun to consider what consequences could come their way if anyone in the family openly seeks revenge. His awareness of the complexities of racism and segregation has increased, along with his knowledge of how bad things could get. As a result, some of his anger and frustration is being replaced by fear and a heightened sense of responsibility.
