Middle Passage is a 1990 historical novel

Historical novel

According to Encyclopædia Britannica, a historical novel is-Development:An early example of historical prose fiction is Luó Guànzhōng's 14th century Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which covers one of the most important periods of Chinese history and left a lasting impact on Chinese culture.The...

 by Charles R. Johnson

Charles R. Johnson

Charles R. Johnson is an American scholar and author of novels, short stories, and essays. Johnson, an African-American, has directly addressed the issues of black life in America in novels such as Middle Passage and Dreamer....

 about the final voyage of an illegal American slave ship

Slave ship

Slave ships were large cargo ships specially converted for the purpose of transporting slaves, especially newly purchased African slaves to Americas....

. Set in 1830, the novel presents a personal and historical perspective of the illegal slave trade in the United States, telling the story of Rutherford Calhoun, a freed slave who unknowingly boards a slave ship bound for Africa in order to escape a forced marriage. The novel won the National Book Award

National Book Award

The National Book Awards are a set of American literary awards. Started in 1950, the Awards are presented annually to American authors for literature published in the current year. In 1989 the National Book Foundation, a nonprofit organization which now oversees and manages the National Book...

 in 1990.

Plot summary

The protagonist is Rutherford Calhoun, a freed slave, who flees from New Orleans on a ship called the Republic to escape being blackmailed into marriage by Isadora Bailey, a schoolteacher who convinces Calhoun's creditor, Papa, to demand Calhoun pays him all he owes if he will not consent to marry Isadora. After meeting the drunken cook of the Republic while drinking to forget his troubles, Calhoun stows away aboard the ship (and is later found after the voyage begins). The ship travels to Africa to capture members of the Allmuseri tribe to take back to America to sell as slaves. Although an educated man, Rutherford is at first self-absorbed and thus initially unable to grasp the hardships of slave life. During the voyage, Rutherford becomes humbled, learning lessons that teach him to value and respect humanity which includes identification with his own country, America.

The ship eventually sinks due to various factors, including the sailing inexperience of the ship's passengers. There are many survivors, and a nearby ship named the Juno rescues them. Rutherford discovers that Isadora is aboard the Juno and is about to marry Papa, who has partial ownership of the Republic. Papa learns that Rutherford has the ship's log to the and he bargains with Rutherford to get possession of it. Rutherford brings up the fact that the ship was illegally dealing in slave trade and uses his influence with Santos, Papa's black servant, to get what he wants, namely Isadora in marriage. Isadora, who is knitting booties for her cats and dogs whom Papa is making her give up, leaves Papa and marries Rutherford.

Characters in "Middle Passage"

• Captain Ebenezar Falcon: Captain of the Republic, involved in illegal slave trading.
• Rutherford Calhoun: Protagonist of the story; a freed slave who stows away aboard a ship called the Republic.
• Ngonyama: Allmuseri tribesman on the Republic, being transported to America in the illegal slave trade, who takes charge of the ship after the mutiny.
• Isadora Bailey: Schoolteacher whom Calhoun escapes being blackmailed into marrying. Nevertheless, she is married to Rutherford Calhoun by the end of the story.
• Papa: Creditor of Rutherford Calhoun. He is also part owner of the Republic.
• Peter Cringle: The First Mate of the ship. He is considered by Calhoun to be a very moral man.
• Josiah Squibb: The ship's cook. Calhoun is his assistant.
• Baleka: An Almuseri girl that Calhoun has come to care for.