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Twelve Years a Slave · Character

Mr. Jacob Brooks

A slaveholder who hires Solomon.

minor

Also known as Mr. Brooks, Jacob Brooks

First appearance: xi

Mr. Jacob Brooks's tie to Elizabeth is one of the pressures that moves Twelve Years a Slave—worth meeting in the text, not only on a cast list.

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With Elizabeth (professional): Mr. Jacob Brooks is a slaveholder who purchases Elizabeth, separating her from her…

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See Mr. Jacob Brooks in xi

Character Web

10 connections

A slice of how Mr. Jacob Brooks sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

ELElizabethEBElisha BerryMTMaster TibeatsLELittle EmilyJHJames H. BurchMJMr. Jacob Brooks

Relationship types

  • Professional
  • Other

Character groups

  • Extended family and peripheral figures
  • Solomon's captors and betrayers
  • Plantation slaves and overseers

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Narrative arc

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

SetupEscalationAftermathClimax
  • Setup
  • Escalation
  • Breaking point
  • Aftermath
  • Closing

This chapter marks the dramatic climax because it presents the first real hope of deliverance after years of d…

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Relationships

Relationship notes

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See Mr. Jacob Brooks in xi