Dana, the leading woman, is the main character of the story. Her name means "fire," which explains her general take to life. When she is in Maryland, she struggles to take orders from the white people of that time. She has a fiery spirit and struggles to keep her outbursts on the inside, which has gotten her whipped and beaten. Her saying, " The last time someone told me he wouldn't bother me, he walked in and beat the skin off my back," is one of those instances (134). She's not afraid to show how she feels, even in such a dangerous time. She always perseveres though, regardless how much grief she has to take, no matter how hard she has to work; she keeps it in for the benefit of Rufus. Rufus is her

Thomas Weylin is the main slave and landowner. His first name means "twin," which one could decipher to show the meaning for his seemingly split personalities. In one instance, he will be really cranky and say something like, "'Watch it Dana, there are some things I won't even take from you'" (180). Then he will go to being really nice and letting a slave, Dana, sleep with her master. Luke has even said, "'Master Tom can turn mean mighty quick'" (68). He can be an incredibly nice person, but then switch to a harsh slave owner in an instant, who takes NOTHING from the "lower class" of his slaves. His last name is Weylin, which is said to mean "land by the path," which one could tie in to him owning a plantation that has a path bisecting his fields, but if one were to dig deeper into this character, one would see a different meaning. "The land by the path" could mean that he is the "land" from which Rufus grew. All of Rufus' beliefs came from his father, and R

Some common words found in the essay are:
Thomas Weylin, , Rufus Rufus, Margaret Weylin, Weylin Rufus, Rufus Dana, name means, land path, wouldn't exist, day slaves, rufus path, mean land, name weylin,
Approximate Word count = 649
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)