Following the crash of The Moonlight on the reefs of the coast, Jessie and Ras swim to land.  An elderly man named "Daniel" comes to their aid and takes care of them until they regain their strength.  Ras is taken North, and Daniel gives Jessie directions on the best way to get home.  Jessie leaves at night to walk home.  It is a long trip and Jessie encounters more challenges before he arrives, but he does finally arrive home.  He walks into his home and his mother, sister and he have a joyous reunion.  He does not return unaffected though.  Jessie tells us that everyone treats him differently and he is different.

In The Slave Dancer, how does Jessie find his way home?

In the book The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox, Jessie overcame several obstacles to finally find his way home.

After being shipwrecked and swimming to shore, Jessie discovered that he arrived in Mississippi. After regaining his strength, he was able to travel by foot from Mississippi to his home in New Orleans.

Not only did Jessie have to overcome these obstacles, but he also was forced to rely on his memory to arrive home. Before departing from Mississippi, Daniel provided verbal directions to Jessie about how to get home. As the text reveals:

“Slowly, often stopping to make me repeat what he [Daniel] had said, he drew a chart of words that would lead me home to New Orleans.”

Subsequently, Jessie used Daniel’s words to guide him home. As he walked, he passed Daniel’s markers, which indicated where he should turn or proceed. As Jessie continued his journey, he slept without much shelter and he progressed without shoes or much food.

Despite the monolithic difficulties, Jessie returned home with the help of Daniel’s instructions. Although the journey was not easy, Daniel helped Jessie navigate from Mississippi to Jessie's home in New Orleans.