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Hero (Ulysses)
Homer is an enslaved man on Boss-Master and Missus’s plantation. Like Penny, he demonstrates loyalty to his friends, but he values personal freedom and honor more than loyalty. He doesn’t blame Hero for being forced by Boss-Master to carry out his punishment—the amputation of a foot—for his failed attempt to run away. But he feels differently when he learns that Hero also turned him in, revealing his hiding spot to Boss-Master. Still, he doesn’t seek further revenge other than revealing this truth to the others, thus destroying Hero’s exceptional reputation. Homer makes it clear that he doesn’t wish to physically harm Hero. He is thus a powerful example of what it means to be liberated in one’s own mind; unlike Hero, he isn’t torn by competing loyalty to himself and to his enslavers. Even after his foiled escape attempt, Homer continues to dream of freedom. When First, Second, and Third Runaway show up at the plantation, he offers them shelter and support, and he considers running away with them. But in Hero’s absence, he and Penny have become lovers and he’s absolutely devoted to Penny. The only thing that holds him back is his love for her. But in the end, even before she decides to go with him, he decides that his freedom is worth more than anything else, and he prepares himself to leave her behind. Shortly after Hero’s return from war, Homer and Penny run away to freedom with the chorus of Runaways.
Homer Quotes in Father Comes Home from the Wars
The Father Comes Home from the Wars 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:
).
Part 1 Quotes
THIRD
It’s still dark out
There’s still time to reconsider
Hero you were born perfect and lived your whole life
Is that to end here? Is that to end now
In front of a ruined cabin with an old knife?
HERO
Harm won’t come to no one but me.
FOURTH
Won’t some angel come
And hold back the hand?
Where is the big voice
Telling us that this is just some kind of test
To see if we were willing to follow the path.
Where is the path? Where is the path?!
The path, it isn’t marked.
Won’t some spirit comes down,
Some angel, some light, some mercy?
LEADER
[…]
Homer is coming. Maybe we should wait for him.
He might have an idea for this.
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Explanation and Analysis:
When Hero decides to stay, he worries that Boss-Master will beat him and the others as retribution for being crossed. To prevent this, he asks Penny and Old Man to cut off his foot so there’s no way for him to go to war. As they steel themselves for the act, the chorus of Less Than Desirable Slaves gives voice to everyone’s distress. Fourth Less Desirable alludes to Gensis 22:1-19, a biblical story in which God tests Abraham’s faith by ordering him to offer his only child, Isaac, as a human sacrifice. Abraham prepares to follow through on the horrific 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 porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas.
HOMER
Ain’t no game, Hero.
Cause you shouldn’t be doing neither.
Cause you shouldn’t stoop
To do neither
Cause both choices, Hero,
To stay here and work the field
To go there and fight in the field
Both choices are
Nothing more than the same coin
Flipped over and over
Two sides of the same coin
And the coin ain’t even in your pocket.
[…]
That man will never free you. Ever.
You’re waiting for him to give you Freedom
When you should take it.
Yeah.
I’ve been thinking on it.
[…]
Mark it, now’s the time.
Start running and you’ll be free so quick
The War will still be raging and
Master will be promising Freedom to the next fool
Fool enough to believe it.
And you,
You’ll have your freedom already.
Taken.
Taken for yourself.
It'll be completely yours.
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Homer arrives on the scene to find Hero failing in his attempt to make up his mind whether to go or to stay—and whether to maim himself or not. He realizes that Hero hasn’t made up his mind and then deftly explains why: Boss-Master has merely given Hero the illusion of a choice. Both options (to accompany Boss-Master to fight in the Civil War or remain on the plantation to work) are essentially the same, because they both involve Hero’s continued enslavement. In this passage, Homer continues to reflect on the illusion of choice that Boss-Master offers Hero. He picks 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 porro perfere
HERO
Cause I ain’t like you.
I ain’t some wild man who will
Break away from good common sense and
Go running. Go running here go running there
Go running who knows wherever.
No real map no real nothing and getting no real freedom that way.
Grabbing, taking, snatching, begging, borrowing, stealing?
My Freedom’s gonna be free of that.
Cause who would I be when I’m free that way?
Something stolen. A Stolen-Freedom?
That ain’t me.
HOMER
Seems like
After all the wrong Boss has done
You’re no better than a dog.
Or worse than your own dog
Who at least had the sense to run off
When his Master kicked.
You’re a dog what gets fed scraps from the table
A dog what gets kicked then stays around.
A dog what follows his Master no questions asked.
You’re like that Hero.
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Homer and Hero begin to argue about Hero’s choice and what’s at stake. It’s clear that they both yearn for freedom, but in this exchange, it’s also clear that they think of freedom in vastly different ways. Homer articulates that he believes freedom is his for the taking, while Hero waits for Boss-Master or some higher authority to grant it, and Hero confirms this assessment. Hero doesn’t want “stolen” freedom. But in taking this stance, he raises a question he never answers. He dislikes the idea of stealing his freedom from Boss-Master, but he fails to engage with the fact 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 porro perfere
LEADER
Freedom in exchange for giving Homer away?
And you said yes.
[…]
SECOND
Freedom in exchange for breaking the bond of trust.
And you said yes.
[…]
HERO
Believe it.
It’s true.
Boss gave me a hundred reasons why I should tell.
[…]
Boss told me—
he talked up close inside my ear and he said—
He said—
And I thought, I thought—
I don’t know what I thought.
HOMER
When Boss said jump you jumped, that’s all.
You told on me to him.
I told on you to Them.
That makes it even.
OLD MAN
All we’ve got is the trust between us.
(Rest)
I can’t call you son anymore.
LEADER
And we can’t call you Hero.
PENNY
That’s still his name.
THIRD
Maybe we won’t call him anything at all.
The sun rises.
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Explanation and Analysis:
After Hero and Homer argue about what it means to be free, Homer reveals that Hero didn’t just follow Boss-Master’s orders when he carried out the Homer’s punishment for running away—he first told Boss-Master where he could find the escaped Homer. As Part 1 draws to a close, then, Hero is unmasked as an un-heroic man—note that the conversation ends with a stage direction indicating the rising of the sun, with its light revealing truths hidden during the night. Readers should also note that, while Hero will take a new name for himself in Part 3 and explain it as 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 porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium
Part 2 Quotes
SMITH
[…] This world is such a mess. How’s a colored gonna make his way? […] You could be bought and sold and so could I.
HERO
That’ll end with Freedom.
SMITH
But what if it don’t somehow? Sometimes I get the feeling that the heart of the thing won’t change easy or quick. Cause of the way we were bought and brought over here in the first place. Maybe even with Freedom, that mark, huh, that mark of the marketplace, it will always be on us. And so maybe we will always be twisting and turning ourselves into something that is going to bring the best price. That’s the way we were born into this, so is it always gonna be like that for us, slavery or not? Are we ever going to get us a better place in the marketplace?
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Explanation and Analysis:
As Smith and Hero discuss the promises of freedom, Smith’s ruminations take a dark turn. Like the earlier moment in which Hero put his hands up in a modern gesture, suggesting that the questions about the value of Black lives weren’t decided by the Civil War but continue to need attention in the modern era, this moment invites readers to consider how their own society has made good on or failed the promise of freedom. Notably, Hero and Smith have changed roles in this moment. Up to this point, Hero was the one incapable of imagining freedom, leaving Smith (or, 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 porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea.
Part 3 Quotes
PENNY
What’s that scratching say?
HOMER
It says everything.
PENNY
“Everything.” Is that how you write it? Looks pretty.
HOMER
PENNY
HOMER
Kiss?
PENNY
Homer.
HOMER
No harm in asking.
PENNY
Because you like the sound of no.
HOMER
There’s a yes in that no. Curled up inside somewhere. Kiss.
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Explanation and Analysis:
Back on the farm, in Hero’s absence, Homer and Penny have become lovers. Or, at least, they’ve started having sex; Penny is still devoted to Hero. In this moment, the love-anguished Homer has written Penny’s name in the dirt, thanks to the letters the Runaways have taught him. Penny’s inability to read it offers a quiet but emphatic reminder of the many ways in which enslavers dehumanized and oppressed enslaved people, such as systematically denying them (and legally forbidding them) from receiving any education. But the emphasis in these lines is on the fraught relationship between Homer and Penny. Penny 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 d
HOMER
You’re fearful, I’m brave: no matter. I got one foot you got two: no matter.
(Rest)
There’s big things and then there’s bigger things that small them up, you know? Over where I came from, the sea was so big. But the sky smalled it up. My younger days got smalled up by my years. My one foot gets smalled up by everything. You want to wait, but he’s dead and you’re scared. Going could small that up.
(Rest)
No better time to leave than tonight. And there’s nothing left to do but go.
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Explanation and Analysis:
With some effort, the Runaways convince Homer to join them in their escape, and he tries, in his turn, to convince Penny to go too. In this passage, he doesn’t try to tempt her with grand visions of freedom. Instead, he simply claims that there are many decisions and actions in life that seem scary in the moment but that become easier once a person begins. Penny, Homer, and the rest have faced privation, difficulty, oppression, and abuse as enslaved people. Homer was betrayed by his friend Hero and lost his foot in the process. And although he bears the 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 placea
PENNY
The Master is dead, right?
ODYSSEY DOG
Which one?
HOMER
The Boss-Master, the Colonel, you know.
ODYSSEY DOG
When I say my Master of course I’m speaking of Hero. Him and you all have a Master, but his and you all’s Master is not my Master. Although you could say that because the Boss-Master owns Hero who in turn owns me, you could figure that the Boss-Master is in fact my Master. But he is not. Although, the Great Master, the one who sits in the sky, you know, the Great Master is Boss-Master’s Master and Old-Hero’s Master and my Master too, but that Colonel-Boss-Master is not my Master. When the Colonel called me, I would never come.
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Explanation and Analysis:
Soon after Missus receives a letter informing her of Boss-Master’s death, Odd-See comes trotting down the road with news for Penny and Homer. In this passage, Penny and Homer try to confirm the reports about Boss-Master to humorous results, since the talking dog makes it very clear that he has no interest in the man whom the humans call “Master,” only in his master—Hero. On a more serious note, however, readers should note Odd-See’s complete and total lack of respect for Boss-Master. Not only does he disobey the white man, but he also barely seems to register the man’s existence, 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 invent
ULYSSES
[…] But there’ll be plenty of time to talk more about that. Plenty of time for more stories.
(Rest)
Homer, this here’s for you.
From his satchel, he pulls out a foot, more like a shoe last, made of white alabaster.
HOMER
A foot.
[…]
A foot. I thank you.
ULYSSES
They use it to model shoes on. The shop had burned to the ground. I seen it laying in the ash. Let it take the place of the one you lost.
HOMER
I didn’t lose it. Wasn’t like I woke up one morning and couldn’t remember where I put it.
ULYSSES
Well, you know.
(Rest)
It’s made of alabaster. It’s worth a lot.
HOMER
I thank you.
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Explanation and Analysis:
As Ulysses, Hero returns home bearing gifts for his friends. This is part of his attempt to find redemption for his earlier betrayal of them and to make good on the assertion of his new name that he’s become a new (and better) person. But the insufficiency of his trinkets quickly becomes clear. The alabaster foot might be monetarily valuable—it’s made of a precious material and thus was likely expensive when it was first purchased by the store where Hero found it—but it has little actual value to Homer. It can’t replace the flesh-and-blood foot that he lost; in fact, 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 porro perf
SECOND
I’m scared of what will happen next.
The old story guides me to a dangerous place
A place I head to by homing habit.
Not like the journey I’m on now, right?
THIRD
The place I’m going now is Freedom.
SECOND
But where is Freedom, really?
Will the air smell sweet?
Will the streets be paved with gold?
Will all in Freedomville welcome me with open arms?
Will there be food?
Will there be a bed to lay my Freedom Head?
FIRST
Freedom will swell me, maybe
Maybe it will burst my brains to madness
Maybe it will flood my heart to death
Will I say, at the end of the day,
“God, I wish I’d stayed home?”
SECOND
I’m afraid of what will happen next.
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Explanation and Analysis:
Homer and the Runaways stand on the brink of making their escape, and while they all hunger for the promise of freedom, this passage makes it clear that they nevertheless have fears. In some ways, these aren’t much different from Hero’s. He knows that Boss-Master manipulates and abuses him, yet at least he understands his position in Boss-Master’s world. Boss-Master gives him clothes to wear (the uniform) and food to eat. There’s stability in that, even if it comes at the cost of his dignity. But despite the dangers, the Runaways won’t be deterred. They believe that freedom and self-determination 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 beat
ULYSSES
He didn’t give me my freedom.
[…]
In spite of all his promises.
[…]
With every day they grew fuller and riper.
[…] And my stomach growled.
And he’d feed it. With promises. And I would feast upon them.
I don’t take after him in looks but I did take after him.
I did. I did. Following in his every footstep.
[…]
And when he finally died
I thought for a minute I’d follow him into the grave
That’s how close we were.
You,
You make me think of how I wronged you. Just like with me and Master:
I’d always, just by being myself, I’d always be somehow reminding him
Of his Faults against me.
And so, to make it all right, to make it bearable, so I could find a way to breathe
I went and cut out my soul.
I cut my soul out of myself.
And I gave it up to him.
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Explanation and Analysis:
When Ulysses realizes that Homer and Penny have become lovers in his absence, he becomes jealous and confronts Homer. Homer maintains his composure but can’t resist poking at Ulysses’ sore spot. He asks Ulysses if Boss-Master ever “got around” to following through on his promise of granting Hero his freedom. In this passage, Hero answers no. He also reckons with what Boss-Master’s promises and betrayals have done to him: they cost him his soul. He put all his effort into being like Boss-Master, into giving Boss-Master everything Boss-Master could possibly have wanted from him. He destroyed his own integrity and 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 porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Inci
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Homer Character Timeline in Father Comes Home from the Wars
The timeline below shows where the character Homer appears in Father Comes Home from the Wars. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part 1
Hero describes the scene at the house as he and Homer helped Boss-Master get dressed. He describes Boss-Master’s beautiful uniform and the new boots that are...
(full context)
...last betrayal. Boss-Master publicly promised Hero his freedom for enacting the punishment he’d decreed for Homer—amputating one of Homer’s feet. Hero initially refused but capitulated when Boss-Master threatened to kill him....
(full context)
...terrible situation as a test of their faith. Just as Old Man raises the knife, Homer appears.
(full context)
In a glance, Homer appraises the situation. He begins to dispense advice—having lost his own foot, he has hard-earned...
(full context)
While Homer talks, Old Man loses his nerve. He hands the knife to Hero, putting the choice...
(full context)
...after Old Man exclaims that Boss-Master promised Hero his freedom in exchange for his service, Homer maintains his position. Boss-Master will never give Hero freedom, so Homer thinks Hero should take...
(full context)
Angry, Hero lashes out at Homer, who protests it’s a bad look for the man who deprived him of his foot...
(full context)
...Desirable, Second Less Desirable, and Fourth Less Desirable try to restore peace. Old Man reminds Homer and Hero that despite their enslavement, they’re still the masters of their own words and...
(full context)
...Less Desirable, Second Less Desirable, and Third Less Desirable are horrified; Old Man protests that Homer’s story is a lie. But Hero acknowledges that he did betray his friend. Penny confirms...
(full context)
The sun rises. Hero knows that he will follow Boss-Master into war. In Homer’s words, he’ll continue to jump when Boss-Master says to jump. He calls Odd-See, but the...
(full context)
Part 2
...unties Smith. He hopes that this might make up for the wrong he did to Homer long ago, although he doesn’t say so out loud. Smith encourages Hero to go with...
(full context)
Part 3
...fall of 1863, three runaway enslaved people have stopped by the plantation, hoping to convince Homer to run north with them. Even now First Runaway, Second Runaway, and Third Runaway hope...
(full context)
First Runaway, Second Runaway, and Third Runaway ask Homer what he thinks Penny’s dreams about Hero mean. Homer knows the dreams mean Hero is...
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...appears on the road. She notices the word in the dirt but can’t read it; Homer, asking for a kiss, says it spells “everything.” Although they’ve become lovers in Hero’s absence,...
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...she says she’ll stay and wait for Hero, whether he’s dead or alive. But then, Homer asks her again for a kiss, and this time she unexpectedly humors him. And although...
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...almost see the lines tying Penny to Hero breaking. And indeed, when her kiss with Homer is over, she announces that she’s changed her mind and will go with them after...
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...of someone—or something—coming down the road. It’s Odd-See, Hero’s dog, joyfully returning home. Penny and Homer both take Odd-See’s return as evidence for Hero’s death, since they know the dog would...
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...Old-Hero is alive; he’s bringing Boss-Master’s body home and will be along shortly. Penny and Homer embrace, with tears in their eyes. She wants to run up the road to meet...
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After Penny leaves, Homer frets over how slowly the sky darkens. If night had fallen earlier, he and Penny...
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Homer formally welcomes Ulysses home, and Ulysses kneels to kiss the ground in the way he’s...
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Homer asks about the Union coat which Odd-See says Ulysses wears beneath his uniform, and Ulysses...
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...that Alberta will help with Penny’s chores. But Penny is heartbroken. As is his habit, Homer comforts her. This makes Ulysses jealous.
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...Penny to go with them to freedom, and they wonder aloud what freedom will mean. Homer and the runaways step to the side to discuss their escape route.
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Meanwhile, Ulysses confers with Odd-See. He’s upset about the intimate embrace Penny and Homer shared. Odd-See points out that even if Penny was unfaithful, it shouldn’t matter; Ulysses was...
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But Ulysses can’t let it go. When Homer approaches to see if he wants to run away with them, Ulysses confronts him about...
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One last time, Homer invites Ulysses to find freedom with the rest of them. Ulysses asks how Homer can...
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