Character guide

Frado

major

Also known as Poor Frado, Seizing Frado, Nig

Frado enters the Bellmonts as an indentured servant, expected to earn her keep from childhood until eighteen. Her roguish spirit and stubborn independence collide with Mrs. Bellmont's cruelty, while small kindnesses from Jack, Aunt Abby, and James offer fleeting shelter. Her struggle to assert rights, keep her faith, and find a place in a house that calls her 'nig' drives the novel's central arc.

Mag Smith

supporting

Also known as Moore Lonely Mag Smith, Mag, Poor Mag, poor Mag

Mag's early ruin leaves her isolated, and her marriage to Seth Shipley offers no real protection for her children. When the family must move, she agrees to place Frado with the Bellmonts, half-aware of the household's reputation. Her surrender sets the novel's central abandonment in motion and haunts Frado's sense of being unwanted.

Mrs. Bellmont

major

Also known as Mrs. B., the indignant Mrs. B.

Mrs. Bellmont controls the household through fear, and Frado's body and time belong to her absolutely. Her cruelty is methodical and self-justifying, yet her grief over Mary's death briefly stills the house before the old tempests return. Her tyranny forces Frado to learn defiance and endurance, making her the novel's central antagonist.

Mr. Bellmont

supporting

Also known as Bellmont, Mr. B.

Mr. Bellmont is the household's nominal head, but his authority collapses before Mrs. B.'s temper, leaving Frado without real protection. He pities her, and his presence restrains her mistress somewhat, yet he will not intervene decisively. His helplessness exposes how Northern households could shelter cruelty behind a mild patriarch's silence.

Jack

supporting

Jack is the first Bellmont to want Frado kept, arguing she is handsome, bright, and useful. He writes to his brother James about her merits and hints that mother treats her unjustly, making him an early ally. Yet his sympathy is inconsistent, and his small kindnesses cannot shield her from the household's daily violence.

Mary

supporting

Also known as Miss Mary, sister Mary

Mary resents Frado's presence from the start, declaring she wants no 'nigger' near her, and her cruelty rivals her mother's. When the parents travel, Mary holds sole authority over Frado, turning weeks into a gauntlet of scolding, boxing, and overwork. Her death later shakes the household but does not soften Mrs. Bellmont's hand.

Jane

supporting

Also known as Miss Jane

Jane moves through the Bellmont household as the softer sister, the one who sits with Aunt Abby and shows Frado a measure of ordinary kindness. When George Means's attentions expose how little she feels for the suitor her mother has chosen, her private dissatisfaction becomes a family storm she cannot control. Her struggle to answer a letter, and to answer for her own affections, gives the early household its clearest picture of how Mrs. Bellmont's will presses on everyone beneath her roof.

Aunt Abby

supporting

Also known as good Aunt Abby, Abby

Aunt Abby is the Bellmont household's conscience in a rocking chair, the relative whose quiet room becomes a refuge for both Frado and the ailing James. She listens to Frado's grief in the barn, contradicts the world's contempt for her, and resolves to take the girl home if her health returns. Her confidence and her promises matter because they show Frado, and the reader, that the cruelty around her is not the whole country's opinion.

Susan

minor

A friend or acquaintance who interacts with the Bellmont household.

Jim

minor

Also known as Shelley Jim, James, Tupper James, H. K. W. James, Poor James

A suitor or acquaintance of Mag Smith, possibly Frado's father.

Seth Shipley

minor

Also known as Seth

Mag Smith's second husband, who abandons her and Frado.

George Means

minor

Also known as George

A local man who interacts with the Bellmonts or Frado.

Henry Reed

minor

Also known as Henry

A character who appears in the later part of the story.

Samuel

minor

Also known as The long absent Samuel

A relative or acquaintance who returns after a long absence.

Mrs. Moore

minor

Also known as the kind Mrs. Moore

A kind woman who briefly helps or shelters Frado.

Jenny

minor

Also known as Meantime Jenny

A minor servant or worker in the household.

John

minor

A minor character in the Bellmont household or community.

Fido

minor

Also known as Poor little Fido

Frado's beloved dog, a companion in her loneliness.

Miss Marsh

minor

A teacher or visitor who shows kindness to Frado.

Peter Greene

minor

Also known as Pete Greene, Pete

A local man who interacts with the Bellmonts.

Nab

minor

A minor character, possibly a servant or neighbor.

Lewis

minor

A minor character mentioned in the narrative.

Mrs. Hoggs

minor

A neighbor or acquaintance of the Bellmonts.