# Solomon Northup — Twelve Years a Slave character guide > Solomon Northup in Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Solomon, Northup, Sol, Solomon Northup Staunton, said Solomon, said Solomon Northup **First appearance:** 0004-i ## Snapshot A free black man from upstate New York, kidnapped and sold south, who narrates his own fight to survive slavery and reclaim his stolen name. ## Who they are Solomon Northup was born free, married, and worked as a skilled laborer near Glens Falls until a false promise of employment delivered him into a Washington slave pen. Stripped of his legal identity and renamed 'Platt,' he must weigh the danger of speaking his true name against the daily necessity of enduring men who own him. His double consciousness—free citizen and chattel at once—drives the book's central question of whether law or memory can restore a man erased. ## Relationships ### [Henry B. Northup](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/twelve_years_a_slave_se/characters/henry_b_northup) _family_ Henry is Solomon's loyal friend and relative who travels to Louisiana to rescue him from slavery. ### [Bass](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/twelve_years_a_slave_se/characters/bass) _friendship_ Bass helps Solomon Northup (Platt) by secretly mailing letters that lead to his rescue. ### [Bass](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/twelve_years_a_slave_se/characters/bass) _friendship_ Bass helps Solomon Northup (Platt) by secretly mailing letters that lead to his rescue. ### [Bass](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/twelve_years_a_slave_se/characters/bass) _friendship_ Bass helps Solomon Northup (Platt) by secretly mailing letters that lead to his rescue. ## In the story ### [Dedication](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/twelve_years_a_slave_se/chapters/dedication) The author and subject of the narrative, whose experiences on a Red River plantation are compared to Uncle Tom's Cabin. ### [Editor's Preface](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/twelve_years_a_slave_se/chapters/editor-s-preface) The subject of the narrative; his statements are corroborated and consistent. ### [Twelve Years a Slave](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/twelve_years_a_slave_se/chapters/twelve-years-a-slave) Protagonist and narrator, a free black man kidnapped and sold into slavery. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/twelve_years_a_slave_se/chapters/i) Narrator and protagonist; born free in 1808, describes his ancestry, marriage, and early life. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/twelve_years_a_slave_se/chapters/ii) Narrator and protagonist; hired by Brown and Hamilton, travels with them, falls ill in Washington. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/twelve_years_a_slave_se/chapters/iii) Brutally whipped by Burch for asserting his freedom; imprisoned in William's Slave Pen. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/twelve_years_a_slave_se/chapters/iv) Narrates his experiences in the slave pen and on the brig Orleans, marking his tin cup and planning escape. ### [Arrival at Norfolk and the Voyage to New Orleans](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/twelve_years_a_slave_se/chapters/v) Appointed steward on the brig Orleans; conspires with Arthur and Robert to seize the vessel; writes a letter to Henry B. Northup; forced to accept the name Platt upon arrival in New Orleans. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/twelve_years_a_slave_se/chapters/vi) Narrates the chapter; plays violin for Freeman, falls ill with smallpox, and is sold to a planter. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/twelve_years_a_slave_se/chapters/vii) Reflects on his situation and resolves to keep his true identity secret; successfully devises a rafting method to transport lumber. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/twelve_years_a_slave_se/chapters/viii) Narrator and protagonist; sold to Tibeats, fights back against abuse, and is nearly hanged. ### [Chapter IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/twelve_years_a_slave_se/chapters/ix) Narrates his suffering and fear after the attack by Tibeats, and his gratitude for Ford's intervention. ### [Return to Tibeats and Escape into the Swamp](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/twelve_years_a_slave_se/chapters/x) Desperately defends himself against Tibeats' hatchet attack, then flees into the swamp and eventually finds refuge at Ford's. ### [XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/twelve_years_a_slave_se/chapters/xi) Recovers from his swamp ordeal, works in the garden, returns to Bayou Boeuf, and is sold to Edwin Epps. ### [Chapter XII: The Slave's Daily Life on Bayou Boeuf](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/twelve_years_a_slave_se/chapters/xii) Narrator and former free man enslaved on Bayou Boeuf; describes his own ten years of experience under Master Epps, including his sleeping on a plank with a stick for a pillow and his struggle to meet the two-hundred-pound daily cotton-picking quota. ### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/twelve_years_a_slave_se/chapters/xiv) Narrator and protagonist; hired to Judge Turner; attempts escape via steamer captain; reflects on slavery's brutality. ### [Chapter XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/twelve_years_a_slave_se/chapters/xv) Narrates the chapter, describing his role as a fiddler during Christmas and his work on sugar plantations. ### [Chapter XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/twelve_years_a_slave_se/chapters/xvi) Desperately attempts to mail a letter for rescue, narrowly escapes betrayal by Armsby, and is forced to serve as a driver under Epps. ### [Chapter XVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/twelve_years_a_slave_se/chapters/xviii) Forced to endure a flogging for expressing a wish to be sold, and later compelled to whip Patsey under Epps' orders, highlighting his powerlessness. ### [XIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/twelve_years_a_slave_se/chapters/xix) Cautiously reveals his true identity and story to Bass, seeking help to regain his freedom. Reflects on the danger of disclosure. ### [XX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/twelve_years_a_slave_se/chapters/xx) Describes his Christmas holidays playing fiddle, his secret meeting with Bass, his oversleeping and subsequent whipping, and his despondency on January 3, 1853. ### [XXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/twelve_years_a_slave_se/chapters/xxi) The enslaved protagonist, known as Platt, who is finally identified and informed of his rescue. ### [Chapter XXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/twelve_years_a_slave_se/chapters/xxii) Returns to his family, recounts the trial against Burch, and concludes his narrative. ### [Appendix](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/twelve_years_a_slave_se/chapters/appendix) Subject of the legal affidavits and testimony confirming his free status and kidnapping. ### [Legal Proceedings and Affidavits](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/twelve_years_a_slave_se/chapters/b) Identified as a free citizen of New York, kidnapped in Washington in 1841, and wrongfully held in slavery in Louisiana. ### [Chapter C: The Legal Emancipation of Solomon Northup](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/twelve_years_a_slave_se/chapters/c) Identified as the free man of color who was kidnapped and sold into slavery, now being surrendered to freedom. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/twelve_years_a_slave_se/characters/solomon_northup - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/twelve_years_a_slave_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/twelve_years_a_slave_se/characters