John Brown’s Body · Character

John Brown

The fierce, Bible-quoting abolitionist whose raid and execution become the moral lightning rod that splits America's conscience in two.

major

Also known as Brown, Old John Brown

First appearance: prelude

As a major figure in John Brown’s Body, John Brown is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Central figure of the chapter; his body lies in the grave, but his soul and actions are depicted as marching on, stirring the nation.

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With Jack Ellyat (psychological): Jack Ellyat is deeply influenced and obsessed by John Brown's revolutionary ideals and charismatic leadership. With Watson Brown (family): John Brown and Watson Brown are father and son, sharing a deep familial bond and commitment to the abolitionist cause. With Jack Ellyat (psychological): Jack Ellyat is deeply influenced and obsessed by John Brown's revolutionary ideals and charismatic leadership.

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See John Brown in prelude

Character Web

22 connections

A slice of how John Brown sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Psychological
Family
Other

Character groups

Central narrative figures
Protagonist
Minor and supporting characters

+17 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This passage marks the dramatic climax because it captures the emotional and psychological peak of collective…

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Relationships

Jack Ellyat
psychological · ambivalent
Jack Ellyat is deeply influenced and obsessed by John Brown's revolutionary ideals and… How this plays out →
Watson Brown
family · positive
Jack Ellyat
psychological · ambivalent
Jack Ellyat is deeply influenced and obsessed by John Brown's revolutionary ideals and… How this plays out →

Relationship notes

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See John Brown in prelude

In the story

John Brown appears across 4 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

John Brown's Body
Central figure of the chapter; his body lies in the grave, but his soul and actions are depicted as marching on, stirring the nation.
Book I
Leader of the raid on Harper's Ferry, portrayed as a bearded patriarch with Old Testament eyes, brooding in a calm that ignores practical retreat, and initially unaware that his first victim was a free black man.
Book IV
Invoked as a symbol of abolitionist struggle, his dream of freedom contrasted with the ongoing enslavement and war.
Book VIII
John Brown is invoked as a stone flung from a sling, a farmer who knew the land. His body is imagined as the source of the industrial age—skyscrapers, motors, dynamos—and he lies buried beside the defeated aristocracy.

Chapter companion notes

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