Character Development in Literary Works - Essay Example

In Near Andersonville, Wood writes about Winslow Homer, a painter who participates in the civil war and has a lot of paintings from his experiences in general life and the war. Homer was the son of a merchant from Boston but the family shifted to Cambridge, where racial tensions were high. In his twenties, Homer moves to New York as a freelance artist but when the war erupts, Homer joins the army and heads to Washington (35). Homer continues to paint scenes from the war that later on make him very famous for being thoroughly critical in his work. For example, Wood writes that Homer draws the George Washington estate and depicts it as being in a terrible condition (35). The drawing shows the property is dark, with vacant windows, and the environment bears leafless trees. Interestingly, there are figures of black people coming out through a side door, implying that the property is now inhabited by black people (ibid). It is important to note that Homer had gone to the property with a friend named Waud, who publishes a picture very different from Homer’s of the property.  In Waud’s picture, there are union soldiers visiting the Washington grave and no sign of any black figures or of the house.

During Homer’s time in the army, he experiences bloody battles and makes sketches accordingly. For instance, Wood states that Homer paints the violent scenes he witnesses at the battle of seven pines, where the union suffers five thousand casualties in a span of two days (41). Later, Homer paints a picture of the events that took place at Andersonville, where Stoneman had a failed raid that led to the deaths of thousands of union soldiers (57). According to Wood, “Near Andersonville” is a picture that depicts the figure of a black woman who stands tall, while white soldiers are crowded in the far background (58). Homer returns from the war a different man from the young artist who joined the cavalry to Washington. This is evidenced by homer’s mother who writes to her other son, Arthur, telling him that when homer returned, not even his friends could recognize him. Homer suffers for two months at Yorktown, where he is forced to go without food for days and watch as his colleagues die of typhoid.

In this literary work, Wood grows the character of Homer from a young boy who loves drawing, to a freelance artist drawing portraits of famous people, and finally, an experienced painter telling the story of the civil war through his paintings. The war hardens homer and he is able to shun racism appreciate black people as evidenced by the painting in “Near Andersonville”.

In “Darktown Strutters”, Wesley writes about a character named Jim Too, a ten-year-old boy adopted by Jim Crow and his wife Whisper. Partly crippled, Jim Crow and Whisper cannot get children of their own and that is why they decide to adopt the lonely boy. Jim Crow has a special kind of dance called “Rockin the heel”, which he teaches to a traveling actor named Thomas Rice who uses the dance to pull crowds. While Jim teaches Jim Too dancing, Whisper teaches him how to speak and the family is a happy one. However, Whisper starts seeing another man, Kentucky, and when confronted by Jim, she refuses to stop seeing the man. In the end, Jim and Whisper separate and Jim To continues to live with Jim, although he continues to see Whisper frequently.

Ten years later, Jim has his revenge on Kentucky when he insists that for Jim Too to participate in a dance competition, Mr. Churchill must get rid of Kentucky (14). Jim Too is scheduled to compete against Jack Diamond, who is managed by Rice. During the contest, Jim Too’s dancing evokes strong feelings from the crowd, especially the blacks who start killing the whites. Consequently, Churchill orders that Jim Too be taken away from Louisville to join Rice’s band, telling Jim Too that if he tries escaping, his parents would be killed. Later, Jim To learns that his father had been lynched after he killed Churchill and that Whisper had been sold along with the other slaves. Jim Too learns how to read and becomes useful in telling other blacks what the government is planning on slavery, and being involved in the Underground Railroad escapes (71). The civil war breaks out and Jim To continues traveling with the minstrels, while also helping black people gain freedom. After Rice gets shot on stage by a confederate supporter, Jim To stays in New York for some years before moving out to Jefferson City. In the end, Jim Too has transformed from a lonely boy to a renowned black dancer, and finally one of the most influential people during the civil war.