The Underground Railroad

by

Colson Whitehead

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on The Underground Railroad makes teaching easy.

Homer Character Analysis

Homer is a young black boy who is part of Ridgeway’s gang. Ridgeway purchased him for $5 before buying his freedom, but Homer still chooses to stay with Ridgeway and even voluntarily chains himself to Ridgeway’s wagon at night. Cora is baffled by Homer, who seems to feel no sense of solidarity with other black people and happily chooses to follow Ridgway around, watching him capture, brutalize, and murder runaways. As Ridgway’s book-keeper, Homer maintains meticulous notes on Ridgway’s profits and losses, and seems to have been brainwashed into viewing life in purely economic terms.

Homer Quotes in The Underground Railroad

The The Underground Railroad quotes below are all either spoken by Homer or refer to Homer. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Family, Heritage, and Home Theme Icon
).
Chapter 10: Indiana Quotes

Seeing them all in one room, Cora got an idea of how large they were for the first time. There were people she'd never seen before, like the mischievous little boy who winked at her when their eyes met. Strangers but family, cousins but never introduced. She was surrounded by men and women who'd been born in Africa, or born in chains, who had freed themselves or escaped. Branded, beaten, raped. Now they were here. They were free and black and stewards of their own fates. It made her shiver.

Related Characters: Cora (aka Bessie), Homer
Page Number: 282
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire The Underground Railroad LitChart as a printable PDF.
The Underground Railroad PDF

Homer Quotes in The Underground Railroad

The The Underground Railroad quotes below are all either spoken by Homer or refer to Homer. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Family, Heritage, and Home Theme Icon
).
Chapter 10: Indiana Quotes

Seeing them all in one room, Cora got an idea of how large they were for the first time. There were people she'd never seen before, like the mischievous little boy who winked at her when their eyes met. Strangers but family, cousins but never introduced. She was surrounded by men and women who'd been born in Africa, or born in chains, who had freed themselves or escaped. Branded, beaten, raped. Now they were here. They were free and black and stewards of their own fates. It made her shiver.

Related Characters: Cora (aka Bessie), Homer
Page Number: 282
Explanation and Analysis: