Besa Character Analysis in Copper Sun

Besa is Amari’s fiancé. He’s handsome and kind, and he’s an assistant to the village drummer. They’ve been engaged for about a year when the novel begins, and Amari is looking forward to her future with Besa. Though Besa survives the massacre and the raid on their village, the limited contact that Amari has with him between their abduction and being sold in Charles Town reveals that Besa’s spirit begins to break early. He refuses to look at Amari out of shame at not being able to protect her, though he asks her to always think of him when she looks at the stars. Though Amari believes she’ll never see him again after the slave auction, she’s surprised and shocked when she finds him on Fiona O’Reilly’s farm. By the time they meet there, Besa has had five owners and has tried to run away several times. One of his eyes and many of his teeth are missing, and it’s clear he’s been beaten and physically abused in myriad ways. He shares that simply existing is painful for him, both emotionally and physically, and he no longer sees the point in hoping for better. Amari recognizes that Besa’s spirit is broken and leaves him on the farm when he refuses to come with her and Polly.

Besa Quotes in Copper Sun

The Copper Sun quotes below are all either spoken by Besa or refer to Besa. 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:

Slavery, Dehumanization, and Resistance Theme Icon

Besa said that a band of unusual-looking strangers are coming this way, Mother,” Amari informed her. “He seemed uneasy and went to tell the village elders.”

“We must welcome our guests, then, Amari. We would never judge people simply by how they looked—that would be uncivilized,” her mother told her. “Let us prepare for a celebration.”

Related Characters: Amari (speaker), Amari’s Mother (speaker), Besa, Esi

Page Number and Citation: 5

Explanation and Analysis:

When Amari relays the news to her mother that white strangers are headed for their village, Amari’s mother insists that they can’t judge people by the color of their skin. This reflects the general ethos of Amari’s village, where people tend to be open, accepting, and curious about others. They see everything as an opportunity to celebrate, learn something new, or share information of their own. While this is an admirable trait, however, it’s also the reason why Amari and the rest of her village are so easily murdered and enslaved. It’s not their fault that someone else took advantage Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima

Besa Character Timeline in Copper Sun

The timeline below shows where the character Besa appears in Copper Sun. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...that he wants to speak to giraffes, dutifully tosses down a coconut, and teases that Besa is heading Amari’s way. When Amari asks him to, he runs with the coconut back... (full context)

Amari and Besa have been formally engaged for a year now, but they don’t get to spend much... (full context)

Amari shares with Mother that Besa saw odd strangers heading their way, but Mother sternly says it would be uncivilized to... (full context)

...people impossible jobs. After the story comes the drumming, Amari’s favorite part of any celebration. Besa is the assistant to the village master arts man and she knows that Besa will... (full context)

...how just yesterday, Esi announced that she’s pregnant with her first baby. Finally, Amari notices Besa at the other end of the group. His eyes are glazed, and she spots his... (full context)

...Amari wouldn’t even use such a thing on animals. Amari is shackled in behind Tirza. Besa is at the front of his group, and he won’t look at Amari. For days,... (full context)

...captured Amari’s village, one is the Black man who branded her, and the last is Besa. The guards separate the men from the women. Amari wants to run to Besa, who... (full context)

...After another generous meal, guards kick the men, shackle them together, and march them away. Besa gives Amari a sad look as he goes, and Amari sobs. Afi notices, asks about... (full context)

...splattered with blood, urine, and feces of the men above them. Not wanting to see Besa, Amari turns away. (full context)

...her. The night after, two sailors take turns raping her. The following morning, Amari spots Besa as the men come up on deck. He tries to make eye contact with Amari,... (full context)

...like “massa” and “yessir.” One hot night, Amari can’t sleep. She sits up and sees Besa close to her. They greet each other and try not to cry. Besa asks her... (full context)

...the slaves and force the slaves to slather their bodies in foul-smelling oil. Amari watches Besa and other men leave and hears them be auctioned off. She knows she won’t see... (full context)

Amari drifts in and out of consciousness. She dreams of Besa and the hot sun over the rice fields. She dreams of Mother and, oddly, of... (full context)

...his name is Buck, but Amari begins to cry. In Ewe, she asks if he’s Besa. He softly asks if she’s Amari, and Amari runs to him. (full context)

As Amari reaches Besa, he puts a hand out. Amari sees that Besa is changed: his right eye is... (full context)

Fiona bustles in, tells Besa to put hay in the back of the wagon, and swears him to secrecy when... (full context)

...can play the part of a mistress. As they drive away, Amari looks back for Besa. Hushpuppy leaps into Tidbit’s arms. (full context)

...notices that Amari seems to have trouble sleeping. One afternoon, Polly offers her condolences about Besa to Amari. Amari suggests that it may have been better had she not seen him,... (full context)

...find a place for herself. Amari puts her head in her hands and wonders if Besa is right and they’ll be caught. Polly insists they’ll make it and reminds Amari that... (full context)

Besa Character Analysis

Besa Quotes in Copper Sun

Chapter 1 Quotes

Besa Character Timeline in Copper Sun