Characters
Booker
Booker is a newly-joined white member of the Communist Party. His membership is
so recent that he is unfamiliar with the identities of other party members or
the location of their upcoming meeting. After Sue is brutally beaten by the
sheriff, Booker arrives at her home. He assists her by providing a cool, wet
cloth to soothe her wounds. While helping her, Booker persistently asks Sue for
the names of other party members.
Once Booker departs, Sue begins to question his loyalty. Reva later confirms that Booker is a traitor. Consequently, Sue tracks down Booker and, by the story's conclusion, shoots him in the head.
Johnny-Boy
Johnny-Boy is one of Sue's two sons. The story begins with Sue anxiously
awaiting Johnny-Boy's return, as he is late. He has assumed the responsibility
of recruiting new members for the local Communist Party chapter following the
imprisonment of his brother, Sug.
Johnny-Boy is intensely serious and driven by a mission to free black people from the generations of oppression inflicted by white people. Although he doesn't particularly like white people, he believes that unity between blacks and whites under the Communist Party could lead to liberation. Johnny-Boy risks his life for this cause, ultimately sacrificing himself. Despite enduring severe physical punishment, he refuses to reveal the identities of the party members. His actions are guided by a vision that transcends personal concerns. To him, the life of the party and its potential rewards are more important than his own life. His ultimate goal is freedom, and he is willing to die for it. Unlike the quiet black men of the past, Johnny-Boy dies with a vision for the future, giving his life for that dream.
Reva
Reva is a young white woman who is enamored with Johnny-Boy, although they
never meet during the story, symbolizing their doomed relationship. She is also
a devoted believer in the cause, helping Johnny-Boy and her father organize the
Communist Party in their area.
Reva arrives at Sue's house in the middle of a rainstorm to warn her that someone has informed the sheriff about Johnny-Boy's activities. Despite her concern for Reva's safety in the storm, Sue instructs her to return to her father's home to inform him that Johnny-Boy is delayed and might not be able to warn the other Communist Party members.
Later in the story, Reva returns to Sue's house and discovers that Sue has been beaten. She helps care for Sue, tending to her wounds and giving her coffee. Reva then tells Sue that she knows who the "Judas" is. Upon hearing this, Sue realizes she must find Booker and kill him.
Sheriff
The sheriff arrives at Sue's home with a group of unruly white men. They enter
Sue's house uninvited and start eating her food. When the sheriff calls Sue
"Anty," she retorts, "White man, don you Anty me!" The sheriff is there because
he suspects Johnny-Boy is involved in organizing the Communist Party, which
threatens his authority. He wants Johnny-Boy to reveal the names of all the
members and promises to spare his life if he talks.
Sue does not trust the sheriff and stands her ground. She talks back to him until he loses his patience. Feeling insulted by her defiance, the sheriff beats her before leaving. He warns Sue that if Johnny-Boy doesn't talk, she should bring a white sheet to wrap his body in.
Later in the story, when Sue goes to find Booker, she encounters the sheriff torturing Johnny-Boy. The sheriff orders his men to break Johnny-Boy's legs and crush his eardrums. After Sue shoots Booker, the...
(This entire section contains 978 words.)
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sheriff beats her again and orders his men to shoot both Sue and Johnny-Boy.
Sue
Sue is the central figure of the story. She is the mother of Johnny-Boy and
Sug. Although the narrative is in the third person, it is through Sue's
perspective that the story unfolds. Kenneth Kinnamon, in The Emergence of
Richard Wright, describes Sue as having a "governing passion" that is
maternal. In other words, she acts out of love and duty for her sons.
While her sons are driven by a desire to bring change to the racially oppressive rural South, Sue endures the punishment inflicted on her, believing she will be rewarded in the afterlife. Sue's strong Christian faith and the image of Jesus suffering on the cross help her endure her own pain in silence. She believes she will one day go to heaven, and those who have harmed her will eventually face their own suffering.
Nevertheless, due to her strong maternal instincts, she becomes entangled in her sons' fervor for the potential of the newly established Communist Party in their rural community. As her sons engage in secretive efforts to recruit members (both white and black) for the party, thereby strengthening it, Sue finds herself torn between her beliefs: enduring suffering in silence, distrusting all white people, and, at the same time, supporting, nurturing, and protecting her adult children.
As Sue delves deeper into her sons' struggle against oppression through a united communist front, she discovers an inner fortitude that differs greatly from the spiritual and somewhat submissive strength she found in Christianity. Abdul JanMohamed notes in his article "Psychopolitical Function of Death in Uncle Tom’s Children," that Sue "is so certain of her strength that she imagines proving her resilience." This confidence ultimately leads Sue into trouble. She almost romanticizes facing her dread, hatred, and fear of white people, provoking the white sheriff until he assaults her. This unfortunate event leaves her mind in turmoil, driving her down a path that can only end in death.
Sug
Sug is Sue’s other son, who has been imprisoned for a year. Despite being
beaten, he has not revealed the names of the Communist Party members. Sug never
appears in the story; readers learn about him solely through Sue's
thoughts.