Major Characters
Myna/Amari is a fifteen year old slave from Africa, who gets taken away from her family and her betrothed, Besa. She goes through many things to get to America, like getting raped and getting branded. In the beginning of the book she has a horrible attitude and thinks her life is over but, after meeting a few friends, she becomes a happy, cheerful young woman. Her family was powerful in Africa but she met a hard reality when she was treated like an animal, which is when she puts her whole life into a different perspective. When her life changes, so does her name. In the beginning of the book, she is called Amari and everything in her life is wonderful, then she gets adopted by Mr. Derby. Her name changes to Myna and her life changes from wonderful to brutal. Then in the end of the book, she changes her name back to Amari because she wants to be her own person again.
Polly is an indentured servant who wants to get into the big house and will do whatever it takes to get into it. In the beginning of the book, she didn't like the idea of being put on the same level of Amari, a black slave, and was very snotty about it. She looked down on blacks and felt that they shouldn't have a place in the world. She comes to like Amari and it showed when she was worried about Myna when they were traveling to Fort Mose. She changes her whole perspective on life, just like Amari, when she isn't treated like a white
Polly is an indentured servant who wants to get into the big house and will do whatever it takes to get into it. In the beginning of the book, she didn't like the idea of being put on the same level of Amari, a black slave, and was very snotty about it. She looked down on blacks and felt that they shouldn't have a place in the world. She comes to like Amari and it showed when she was worried about Myna when they were traveling to Fort Mose. She changes her whole perspective on life, just like Amari, when she isn't treated like a white