# Frado — Our Nig character guide > Frado in Our Nig by Harriet E. Wilson. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Poor Frado, Seizing Frado, Nig **First appearance:** 0003-i-mag-smith-my-mother ## Snapshot A quick-eyed mulatto child given away at six, Frado must survive the Bellmont house by wit, work, and a will that refuses to break. ## Who they are 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. ## Relationships ### [Jim](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/our_nig_se/characters/jim) _family_ Jim is Frado's father, who dies early in the story, leaving her vulnerable. ### [Mrs. Bellmont](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/our_nig_se/characters/mrs_bellmont) _rivalry_ Mrs. Bellmont is Frado's cruel mistress and primary antagonist, subjecting her to relentless abuse. ### [Mary](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/our_nig_se/characters/mary) _rivalry_ Mary, Mrs. Bellmont's daughter, actively torments and bullies Frado alongside her mother. ### [Aunt Abby](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/our_nig_se/characters/aunt_abby) _friendship_ Aunt Abby is a kind, protective ally to Frado, offering comfort and support against the Bellmonts' cruelty. ### [Jack](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/our_nig_se/characters/jack) _friendship_ Jack, the Bellmonts' son, is one of the few family members who shows Frado occasional kindness and defends her. ### [Mr. Bellmont](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/our_nig_se/characters/mr_bellmont) _professional_ Mr. Bellmont is Frado's employer and master, but he is largely passive and fails to protect her from his wife's abuse. ### [Susan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/our_nig_se/characters/susan) _family_ Susan is Frado's stepmother, who is kind to her but unable to fully protect her from the Bellmonts. ### [Mag Smith](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/our_nig_se/characters/mag_smith) _family_ Mag Smith is Frado's biological mother, who abandons her, leading to Frado's indenture to the Bellmonts. ### [Jack](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/our_nig_se/characters/jack) _friendship_ Jack, the Bellmonts' son, is one of the few family members who shows Frado occasional kindness and defends her. ### [Mrs. Bellmont](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/our_nig_se/characters/mrs_bellmont) _rivalry_ Mrs. Bellmont is Frado's cruel mistress and primary antagonist, subjecting her to relentless abuse. ### [Jim](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/our_nig_se/characters/jim) _family_ Jim is Frado's father, who dies early in the story, leaving her vulnerable. ### [Mary](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/our_nig_se/characters/mary) _rivalry_ Mary, Mrs. Bellmont's daughter, actively torments and bullies Frado alongside her mother. ## In the story ### [Our Nig](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/our_nig_se/chapters/our-nig) Introduced as the mixed-race daughter of Mag Smith, left at the Bellmonts' home. ### [II: My Father’s Death](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/our_nig_se/chapters/ii-my-father-s-death) Frado is a six-year-old beautiful mulatto child, wild and frolicky, who is left by her mother at the Bellmonts' home. ### [III: A New Home for Me](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/our_nig_se/chapters/iii-a-new-home-for-me) Frado is left at the Bellmonts, subjected to hard labor, racial abuse, and physical punishment, but finds some solace in school and the kindness of Miss Marsh. ### [IV: A Friend for Nig](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/our_nig_se/chapters/iv-a-friend-for-nig) Beaten and kicked by Mrs. Bellmont, runs away, is found by James and Jack, and shares her grief with James about her mother and her skin color. ### [Departures](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/our_nig_se/chapters/v-departures) Grieves James's departure, performs heavy labor, plays a dangerous trick on a sheep, and loses her dog Fido when Mrs. Bellmont sells him. ### [Varieties](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/our_nig_se/chapters/vi-varieties) Overworked and abused, she finds comfort in Fido and hopes to leave with James. ### [VII: Spiritual Condition of Nig](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/our_nig_se/chapters/vii-spiritual-condition-of-nig) Devoted to James, she insists on being called to help him despite her exhaustion. She weeps over his condition and is whipped by Mrs. Bellmont for showing emotion. James recounts her lamenting her loneliness and blackness. ### [Visitor and Departure](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/our_nig_se/chapters/viii-visitor-and-departure) Suffers a spiritual crisis, reads the Bible, endures a brutal beating from Mrs. Bellmont, and finds solace in James's protection and religious instruction. ### [IX: Death](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/our_nig_se/chapters/ix-death) Grieves James's death, seeks spiritual solace, endures Mrs. Bellmont's abuse and public humiliation at the funeral. ### [X: Perplexities.—Another Death](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/our_nig_se/chapters/x-perplexities-another-death) Frado experiences a spiritual crisis after James's death, attends meeting, and is threatened by Mrs. Bellmont. She asserts herself at the woodpile, feels relief at Mary's death, and resolves to stay until she is eighteen. ### [Marriage Again](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/our_nig_se/chapters/xi-marriage-again) Frado helps Jenny send a letter to Jack, leaves the Bellmonts, works for Mrs. Moore and others, falls ill, and later learns straw bonnet-making while striving for self-improvement. ### [XII: The Winding Up of the Matter](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/our_nig_se/chapters/xii-the-winding-up-of-the-matter) Marries Samuel, is deserted, gives birth, and eventually supports herself through a trade. ### [Appendix](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/our_nig_se/chapters/appendix) Described as having a 'black, but comely' face, she finds a home with Mrs. Walker, marries a fugitive slave, is deserted, and later struggles as a single mother. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/our_nig_se/characters/frado - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/our_nig_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/our_nig_se/characters