# Bass — Twelve Years a Slave character guide

> Bass in Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Master Bass, Mr. Bass, XX Bass

**First appearance:** 0016-xiii

## Snapshot

A Canadian carpenter with abolitionist convictions whose willingness to risk his own safety becomes the thread that could pull Solomon back to freedom.

## Who they are

Bass works in the Bayou Boeuf region and speaks his anti-slavery views openly, a dangerous habit in a parish built on bondage. When Solomon dares to confide his true identity, Bass must decide whether a stranger's word is worth the peril of acting on it. His letters and testimony set the rescue machinery in motion, making him the rare white man in the narrative whose conscience outweighs his comfort.

## Relationships

### [Master Epps](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/twelve_years_a_slave_se/characters/master_epps)

_professional_

Bass works as a carpenter for Epps but secretly opposes his brutal treatment of slaves.

### [Platt](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/twelve_years_a_slave_se/characters/platt)

_friendship_

Bass becomes a trusted ally to Platt, risking his own safety to help send letters for his freedom.

### [Solomon Northup](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/twelve_years_a_slave_se/characters/solomon_northup)

_friendship_

Bass helps Solomon Northup (Platt) by secretly mailing letters that lead to his rescue.

### [Master Epps](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/twelve_years_a_slave_se/characters/master_epps)

_professional_

Bass works as a carpenter for Epps but secretly opposes his brutal treatment of slaves.

### [Platt](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/twelve_years_a_slave_se/characters/platt)

_friendship_

Bass becomes a trusted ally to Platt, risking his own safety to help send letters for his freedom.

### [Master Epps](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/twelve_years_a_slave_se/characters/master_epps)

_professional_

Bass works as a carpenter for Epps but secretly opposes his brutal treatment of slaves.

### [Solomon Northup](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/twelve_years_a_slave_se/characters/solomon_northup)

_friendship_

Bass helps Solomon Northup (Platt) by secretly mailing letters that lead to his rescue.

### [Solomon Northup](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/twelve_years_a_slave_se/characters/solomon_northup)

_friendship_

Bass helps Solomon Northup (Platt) by secretly mailing letters that lead to his rescue.

## In the story

### [Twelve Years a Slave](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/twelve_years_a_slave_se/chapters/twelve-years-a-slave)

Carpenter who helps Solomon by writing letters to secure his rescue.

### [XIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/twelve_years_a_slave_se/chapters/xix)

Engages in a moral debate with Epps, arguing against slavery and the injustice of the system. Later agrees to help Solomon by writing letters to the North.

### [XX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/twelve_years_a_slave_se/chapters/xx)

Arrives on Christmas Eve, meets Solomon secretly, and announces his plan to travel north to Saratoga to seek help for Solomon.

### [XXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/twelve_years_a_slave_se/chapters/xxi)

The carpenter who wrote the letter that initiated Solomon's rescue; meets with Henry B. Northup and provides a map to Epps' plantation.

### [Chapter XXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/twelve_years_a_slave_se/chapters/xxii)

Mentioned as the one whose letter revealed Solomon's location to his family.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/twelve_years_a_slave_se/characters/bass
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/twelve_years_a_slave_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/twelve_years_a_slave_se/characters