Character guide

My Master

supporting

Also known as your master

The narrator's owner, a man whose absolute power over other human beings is exercised with the casual indifference of one born to command.

Mr. Slator

supporting

Also known as Slator

A slaveholder entangled in the machinery of pursuit, his name carries the weight of the system that hunts those who dare to flee.

Frank

supporting

Also known as Poor Frank

A fellow bondsman known as Poor Frank, whose fate shadows the narrator's own and sharpens the stakes of any attempt at escape.

Antoinette

major

Also known as The brave Antoinette

Brave Antoinette, a woman whose near-white complexion and daring spirit make her the unlikely architect of a disguise that could unlock the cage.

Ellen Craft

major

Also known as Ellen, Craft

Born to her master and nearly white, she will disguise herself as a young planter to walk out of slavery with her husband beside her.

The Officer

minor

A law enforcement officer who challenges the fugitives during their journey.

William Johnson

supporting

Also known as William

William Johnson belongs to the precarious class of free blacks in the slave South, whose liberty is real but never secure, and whose help the Crafts need at the most dangerous stage of their flight. His assistance carries its own risk: aiding fugitives could cost him everything he has. He matters because the escape depends not only on the Crafts' audacity but on a chain of allies willing to stake their own safety on strangers.

Hoskens

minor

Also known as On Hoskens

A person mentioned in connection with the slave trade or pursuit.

Mrs. Douglass

minor

A woman who provides shelter or aid to the fugitives.

Mr. Johnson

supporting

Mr. Johnson moves through the same underground network as the free black William Johnson, and the near-identical names leave his true identity deliberately blurred. That ambiguity is the point: in a world where a single betrayal means re-enslavement, allies must be both useful and deniable. He matters to the early-middle arc because the Crafts' journey tests not just their disguises but their judgment about whom to believe.

Stranger

minor

An unidentified person who interacts with the fugitives during their journey.

William Craft

major

Also known as William, Craft

William Craft was born into slavery in Georgia and, though spared the worst brutality, is haunted by the knowledge that his wife and future children could be sold away at any moment. His plan is almost absurdly daring: Ellen will pose as a sickly white master, and he will travel beside her as her slave, inverting the very hierarchy that holds them captive. His steady nerve and willingness to risk everything anchor the narrative's central gamble.

The Captain

minor

A ship captain who transports the fugitives or is involved in their journey.

Salome Muller

minor

Also known as Salome, Muller

A historical figure referenced in the narrative, possibly a case of mistaken identity.

Madame Karl

minor

A woman who provides lodging or assistance to the fugitives.

Mr. Cray

minor

A person who aids or interacts with the Crafts during their escape.

Daniel Muller

minor

Also known as Daniel

A person associated with the Salome Muller case, referenced in the narrative.

John F. Miller

minor

Also known as This Miller, Miller

A person involved in the slave trade or legal proceedings.

Unknown

major

Also known as your, myself

A Georgia slave who refuses to accept that one man may own another, he narrates the audacious plan that carried him and his wife to freedom.

The Doctor

minor

A physician who interacts with the disguised Ellen Craft.

Mrs. Huston

minor

A woman who hosts or assists the Crafts during their flight.

Ned

minor

A fellow slave or acquaintance of the Crafts, possibly involved in the escape.

Mary

minor

Also known as Sally Ann

A woman mentioned in the context of slavery or the Crafts' story.

My Old Master

minor

The narrator's former owner, referenced in the escape plan.

The Master

minor

A generic slaveholder encountered during the journey.

Mrs. Slator

minor

Also known as Slator

The wife of Mr. Slator, involved in the pursuit or household.

Mr. Estlin

minor

An abolitionist or supporter who helps the fugitives in the North.

Mr. Barkley Ivens

minor

Also known as Mr. Ivens

A slaveholder or pursuer of the Crafts.

The Rev. W. M. Rogers

minor

A clergyman who provides aid or counsel to the fugitives.

The Rev. Dr. Taylor

minor

A minister who interacts with the Crafts during their journey.

Mrs. Ivens

minor

The wife of Mr. Barkley Ivens, involved in the pursuit.

Louis Belmonte

minor

Also known as Belmonte

A historical figure referenced in the narrative, possibly a slave trader.

Mrs. Stowe

minor

Harriet Beecher Stowe, author referenced in the narrative.

Mr. Filmore

minor

A person mentioned in connection with the Fugitive Slave Act.

The Rev. Dr. Gardiner Spring

minor

A clergyman referenced in the narrative, possibly as an abolitionist.

Daniel Oliver

minor

A person mentioned in the context of the slave trade or legal cases.