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First Runaway
Second Runaway is a member of the chorus of Runaway Slaves. They stop at Boss-Master’s farm along with First Runaway and Third Runaway to try to get Homer to go north with them. Second Runaway comes from a place farther south than Boss-Master’s farm and in running away, they lost their sister.
Second Runaway Quotes in Father Comes Home from the Wars
The Father Comes Home from the Wars quotes below are all either spoken by Second Runaway or refer to Second Runaway. 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 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
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
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Second Runaway Character Timeline in Father Comes Home from the Wars
The timeline below shows where the character Second Runaway appears in Father Comes Home from the Wars. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part 3
...the plantation, hoping to convince Homer to run north with them. Even now First Runaway, Second Runaway , and Third Runaway hope to convince him, though they’ve all witnessed Penny’s terrible nightmares...
(full context)
First Runaway, Second Runaway , and Third Runaway ask Homer what he thinks Penny’s dreams about Hero mean. Homer...
(full context)
...And so is Hero, though Penny can’t yet bring herself to believe it. First Runaway, Second Runaway , and Third Runaway invite Penny to come north with them, but she says she’ll...
(full context)
First Runaway, Second Runaway , and Third Runaway can almost see the lines tying Penny to Hero breaking. And...
(full context)
...Penny, but he’s not willing to stay either. He’s ready for his freedom. First Runaway, Second Runaway , and Third Runaway see a figure approaching on the road. It’s Hero. Hero embraces...
(full context)
...He and Homer will dig the grave. But Homer says he’s going with First Runaway, Second Runaway , and Third Runaway. They’ll be gone by nightfall, and Ulysses promise to keep the...
(full context)
...is the paper he carries in his pocket. It’s for all of them. First Runaway, Second Runaway , and Third Runaway ask to see it, but Ulysses wants to read it to...
(full context)
...is ready for Ulysses and his new bride. This turn of events distresses First Runaway, Second Runaway , and Third Runaway who know the “old stories,” stories that warn of the danger...
(full context)
