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Noah is Mrs. Derby’s personal slave and bodyguard. Amari sees little of him throughout the novel, since he serves primarily at the house, but several of the other slaves resent him. It’s rumored that he’s literate and will be freed upon Mrs. Derby’s death, and his superior treatment and duties don’t sit well with the other slaves either. In Polly and Amari’s experience, however, Noah is kind and supportive of the other slaves on the plantation. When Mrs. Derby gives birth to a Black baby, Teenie correctly infers that Noah is the father. Noah explains that he and Mrs. Derby grew up together and have been friends and lovers for a long time. His love for Mrs. Derby means that he’s unwilling to try to run away and save himself. Mr. Derby murders Noah and the baby in front of Mrs. Derby to punish them.
Noah Quotes in Copper Sun
The Copper Sun quotes below are all either spoken by Noah or refer to Noah. 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:
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Chapter 15 Quotes
The young Master Derby carried a small whip, and he used it liberally to make Noah work faster. Polly noticed that the slave breathed slowly and loudly, as if he was tense, but he made no attempt to stop the young man from hitting him. She was always amazed at how much abuse slaves took without it seeming to bother them.
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Chapter 26 Quotes
“My beautiful baby,” she murmured over and over. Finally calmer, she looked up at Teenie and the girls. “I must explain,” she whispered, “before I die.”
“You ain’t gonna die, Miz Isabelle,” Teenie assured her. “You is fit and fine. Everybody feels a little poorly after havin’ a baby.”
Tenderly, Mrs. Derby touched the infant’s velvety brown face. “You don’t understand. My husband will kill me,” she said with certainty.
[...]
“He would never do such a thing!” But Teenie knew that Mr. Derby was probably quite capable of murder and would be within the limits of social acceptability to do so for this impropriety.
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Get the entire Copper Sun LitChart as a printable PDF.
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Noah Character Timeline in Copper Sun
The timeline below shows where the character Noah appears in Copper Sun. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 15. Polly and Clay
...Derby’s son Clay arrives, whipping a well-dressed slave who’s struggling with heavy supplies. The slave, Noah, doesn’t try to stop the abuse. Polly marvels that the slaves never seem bothered by...
(full context)
...whip her. Polly is shocked; she thought that whippings were reserved for slaves. She watches Noah gently move the trembling slave girl onto a blanket as Mr. Derby approaches. Mr. Derby...
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...them who’s the master and who’s the slave. A moment later, the wagon lurches violently. Noah calmly apologizes and says that a mosquito must’ve bitten the horse, but Polly is sure...
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...gorgeous property as several slaves rush out with refreshments. Mr. Derby ignores them and sends Noah to the right, down to a wooden shack. He orders the girls out of the...
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Chapter 20. Isabelle Derby
...is pretty close to a slave, given how Mr. Derby treats her. Lena gripes about Noah, who came with Mrs. Derby and will become free when she dies. Lena wanders off,...
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Chapter 22. Lashed With a Whip
...house, she’d sneak in and read every chance she got. Lena formally introduces Polly to Noah, who acts as the coachman, butler, and Mrs. Derby’s bodyguard. Lena whispers that it’s rumored...
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...from the fishing crew tomorrow to work in the rice, but Clay lazily suggests sending Noah to the rice field. Mrs. Derby looks alarmed and turns to her husband, but Mr....
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...from the room. Polly is terrified and doesn’t know what to do. Amari is unconscious. Noah whispers that vinegar will get the stains out of the carpet.
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Chapter 25. Birth of the Baby
...nothing. Then, he asks Polly what she knows about childbirth and explains that he sent Noah for the doctor, but they won’t return for hours. Polly agrees to help, and Mr....
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Chapter 26. Facing Mr. Derby
...for help. When Teenie gets to the bedroom, she sucks her teeth and says that Noah is certainly the father. Mrs. Derby wakes up and asks for her baby. Amari places...
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Chapter 27. Death in the Dust
...Polly is the only one who can be on the road to try to turn Noah and the doctor around. Polly jogs down the road until she hears the wagon. She...
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...fainted. Mr. Derby and the doctor rush inside. Amari emerges from the kitchen and tells Noah the baby girl is Black. Polly is surprised when Noah looks genuinely anguished. Teenie says...
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...didn’t know it was possible for a slave and a master to fall in love. Noah says that if it’s happened before, no one has lived to tell the tale. Teenie...
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