When a fellow slave tells her about the underground railroad, she finds the courage to run for her freedom. Inside this instaread summary of the underground railroad by colson whitehead includes analysis summary of the book important people character analysis analysis of the themes and authors style. Colson whiteheads the underground railroad tells the story of cora, a runaway slave who travels from state to state on railroad cars physically under the ground of the american south. Ajarry has three husbands and five children, and the only one of the children that survives is mabel, coras mother. This study guide consists of approximately 65 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of the underground railroad. There was a drastic increase in slaves throughout the south of the united states as tobacco and rice plantations became the basis of its economic dependency. With instaread, you can get the key takeaways, summary and analysis of a book in 15 minutes. Aug 08, 2016 colson whiteheads underground railroad is a literal train to freedom whitehead was recently awarded the national book award for his novel about a young slave who has escaped a georgia. The underground railroad by colson whitehead teachers guide. The underground railroad study guide literature guide litcharts. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 306 pages and is available in hardcover format.
The underground railroad, the latest selection of oprah winfreys book club, chronicles the life of a teenage slave named cora, who flees the georgia plantation where she was born, risking. This novel, the underground railroad, is touched with greatness. The underground railroad, published in 2016, is the sixth novel by american author colson whitehead the alternate history novel tells the story of cora and caesar, two slaves in the southeastern united states during the 19th century, who make a bid for freedom from their georgia plantations by following the underground railroad, which the novel depicts as primarily a rail transport system in. The underground railroad quotes by colson whitehead.
On the cusp of womanhood, cora is a runaway slave, pursued by her memories of abuse and abandonment, and by the implacable and notoriously cruel slave hunter. The book opens with the story of ajarry who is the grandmother of cora and also the protagonist in the book. In a surprise announcement tuesday morning, winfrey chose the underground railroad as the next title for oprahs book club. The underground railroad won the 2017 pulitzer prize for fiction and the 2016 national book award for fiction. It provides a thorough exploration of the novels plot, characters and main themes, as well as a useful introduction to the alternate history genre. Pdf the underground railroad book by colson whitehead. First, the underground railroad is unique because of its realistic blend of historical fiction and fantasy. The novel, the underground railroad, by colson whitehead vividly describes the challenges of a fictitious slave named cora in the early 1800s as she escapes from her plantation in georgia and the violent lifestyle she must endure as she travels north to avoid being captured by the slave catchers or patrols looking for her. Ajarry this chapter introduces us to ajarry, coras grandmother.
The underground railroad by colson whitehead is a novel about cora, an enslaved woman in georgia who escapes from a. The underground railroad analysis 1063 words 5 pages. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of the underground railroad by colson whitehead. An introduction to the voyage of the free land in the 19th century. When coras mother, mabel, runs away, cora becomes a young outcast among the slaves of the randall plantation.
Colson whiteheads underground railroad is a literal train to freedom whitehead was recently awarded the national book award for his novel about a young slave who has escaped a georgia. Cora and caesars first stop is south carolina, in a city that initially seems like a haven. The underground railroad records is an 1872 book by william still, who is known as the father of the underground railroad. In colson whiteheads latest, the underground railroad is more. Amazon studios is planning a limited drama series based on the novel. Interspersed in the narrative are chapters that follow other characters in the same way the beginning of the book depicts ajarrys life. The questions, discussion topics, and suggestions for further reading that follow are designed to enhance your groups discussion of the underground railroad, a triumph of a novel by colson whitehead. No, my opinion of ridgeway is not changed by his willingness to accept homers attachment to him, purely for his own convenience and ego, making him into a slave owner without having to buy a slave and he obviously had no problem with slavery. Although what historians now call the underground railroad happened above ground and rarely involved trains, this book imagines the underground railroad as an actual. The best study guide to the underground railroad on the planet, from the creators of sparknotes. An analysis of the cause of the underground railroad.
In the underground railroad, his new novel about american slavery. Persuaded by a fellow slave named caesar, cora escapes from the georgia plantation where she was born and travels north, riding in the boxcar of a secret underground train. Bringing this brutal, vital, devastating novel to a wider audience it has also been selected by oprahs book club will not be the least of obamas. In whiteheads ingenious conception, the underground railroad is no mere metaphorengineers and conductors operate a secret network of tracks and tunnels beneath the southern soil. The novel the underground railroad opens with the story of ajarry, a young woman who is captured by slave traders on the african continent and sold in america. The underground railroad by colson whitehead book analysis detailed summary, analysis and reading guide 9782808018593 50 ebook plurilingua publishing this practical and insightful reading guide offers a complete summary and analysis of the underground railroad by colson whitehead. Conveyed by the underground railroad, which the author has rendered as a literal mode of transportation, cora travels from. The underground railroad analysis 1061 words bartleby. Conveyed by the underground railroad, which the author has rendered as a literal mode of transportation, cora travels from georgia, to. Analysis of the underground railroad 1245 words 5 pages. The novel, the underground railroad by colson whitehead is about slavery and freedom. The underground railroad analysis 1063 words bartleby.
The underground railroad essays are academic essays for citation. It is an uneven book, with marvelous passages and unmarvelous ones. On whiteheads the underground railroad cliffsnotes. It tells the story of two slaves in the antebellum south.
Ajarry took over the ownership and controlled over a small plot of land at randall plantation in the southern state of georgia where she lived most of. Communication was had because of the limited learning the runaways had, so instead they used codes such as songs, secret words, and even quilts. The underground railroad quotes and analysis gradesaver. The underground railroad by colson whitehead is a work of speculative fiction that follows a runaway slave, cora, on a grisly tour through the american south. Nov 01, 2016 colson whiteheads the underground railroad is a recent addition to an arguably saturated market of slaveryfixated media. The slave and runaway experiences brought to life will foster empathy and deepen understanding of how the peculiar institution affected individuals and an emerging nation. The underground railroad was a secret way for slaves to escape slavery. Colson whiteheads the underground railroad a gathering. Nevertheless, whiteheads intelligent and exquisitely written prose distinguishes the novel from other artistic.
New novel takes the underground railroad beyond the. Nevertheless, whiteheads intelligent and exquisitely written prose distinguishes the novel from other artistic meditations mining similar historical material. See a complete list of the characters in notes from underground and indepth analyses of the underground man, liza, and zverkov. Colson whiteheads underground railroad is a literal train to. The underground railroad character analysis litcharts. Colson whiteheads the underground railroad a gathering of. Colson whiteheads underground railroad is a literal. Oct 09, 2016 cora, deciding to flee with caesar, a fellow slave, finds herself swept into the great secret undertaking that is the underground railroad. The underground railroad covers five primary periods in the life of cora. Whitehead was recently awarded the national book award for his novel about a young slave who has escaped a georgia plantation and is. I seem simply put together but is far more complex than originally thought of. Colson whiteheads national book awardwinning the underground railroad is a bold, original, and unflinchingly brutal portrait of slavery during the darkest period in american history. Thus begins her odyssey as a runaway slave, where her adventures introduce her to unprecedented horrors and lead her to disheartening realizations. The underground railroad summary the protagonist coras grandmother, ajarry, is kidnapped from africa as a child and brought to america, where she is sold many times before ending up on randall plantation.
The underground railroad is a pulitzer prizewinning 2016 novel by american writer colson whitehead. The perilous lure of the underground railroad the new yorker. Separated from her family and reduced to her value on the auction block, ajarry ends up in the southern state of georgia on the randall tobacco plantation. The underground railroad began as a possible solution to the freeing of slaves during the harsh sectional tensions between the north and the south in the 1800s. Dive into the latest pick for oprahs book club with these questions about colson whiteheads breathtaking novel. Summary of the underground railroad by colson whitehead includes analysis. The main characters of this historical, historical fiction story are caesar. Notes from underground is a novella by fyodor dostoevsky that was first published in 1864. This train conveys cora, caesar, and other escapees first to a south carolina also.
Aug 06, 2016 the underground railroad is the latest novel from colson whitehead, a macarthur fellow, whos been one of the most acclaimed young writers in america. The underground railroad, a 2016 historical fiction novel by colson whitehead, takes place in the early 19th century in georgie and chronicles the life of protagonist cora, ajarrys grandchild. Michael schaub, npr far and away the most anticipated literary novel of the year, the underground railroad marks a new triumph for whiteheada book that resonates with deep emotional timbre. The three most important aspects of the underground railroad. In one of the towns, cora realizes that an apparently wellmeaning. The underground railroad study guide contains a biography of colson whitehead, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. She fiercely defends the tiny plot of land she has inherited from her mother who inherited it from coras grandmother, ajarry when other slaves try to take. Discover more information about the themes in this book. Colson whiteheads the underground railroad is a recent addition to an arguably saturated market of slaveryfixated media. The underground railroad by colson whitehead book analysis. Learn the important quotes in the underground railroad and the chapters theyre from, including why theyre important and what they mean in the context of the book. The alternate history novel tells the story of cora and caesar, two slaves in the southeastern united states during the 19th century, who make a bid for freedom from their georgia plantations by following the underground railroad, which the novel depicts as primarily a rail transport system in addition to a series of safe houses and secret routes. The underground railroad is an american masterpiece, as much a searing document of a cruel history as a uniquely brilliant work of fiction.
She was born on randall plantation in georgia to her mother mabel, and she never knew her father, grayson, who died before she was read full character analysis caesar is an enslaved man who lives on randall and invites cora to run away with him. Aug 03, 2016 the underground railroad, the latest selection of oprah winfreys book club, chronicles the life of a teenage slave named cora, who flees the georgia plantation where she was born, risking. Free download or read online the underground railroad pdf epub book. But whitehead, whose eclectic body of work encompasses novels zone one, 2011, etc. Other examples of neoslave narratives include octavia butlers kindred, toni morrisons beloved, marlon james the book. The underground railroad, published in 2016, is a historical fiction novel by colson whitehead. We are told that when caesar first approached cora about running north, she refused. Discuss the underground railroad by colson whitehead. Read a plot overview of the entire book or a chapter by chapter summary and analysis. The underground railroad, published in 2016, is the sixth novel by american author colson whitehead.
Pdf the underground railroad book by colson whitehead free. Colson whiteheads the underground railroad tells the story of cora. Some big liberties are taken with historical accuracy, such as making the underground railroad a literal railroad. Cora, deciding to flee with caesar, a fellow slave, finds herself swept into the great secret undertaking that is the underground railroad. The first edition of the novel was published in august 2016, and was written by colson whitehead. It tells the story of two slaves in the antebellum south attempting to escape to freedom in. The underground railroad uses steampunk in service of polemic. The underground railroad, by contrast, was personal. Life is hell for all the slaves, but especially bad for cora. The underground railroad is the latest novel from colson whitehead, a macarthur fellow, whos been one of the most acclaimed young writers in america. As cora charts her own path the underground railroad reminds us that her story can be a. The novel the underground railroad opens with the story of ajarry, a young woman who is captured by slave traders on the african continent. Sign me up to get more news about literary fiction books. Although that is not to suggest that all southerners were whitesupremacists, instead in colson whiteheads novel, the underground railroad, numerous southerners helped maintain a secret underground railroad aimed at granting runaway slaves safe passage northward towards.
The underground railroad is an example of a neoslave narrative, a term coined by ishmael reed that refers to a work of literature written in the contemporary era that is set during the slavery era and tells the story from the perspective of enslaved characters. Quotes from colson whiteheads the underground railroad. The main characters of this historical, historical fiction story are caesar the underground railroad. Ajarry never saw water before she arrived at the port of ouidah, where she was kept in a dungeon prior to the ships. Although that is not to suggest that all southerners were whitesupremacists, instead in colson whiteheads novel, the underground railroad, numerous southerners helped maintain a secret underground railroad aimed at granting runaway slaves safe passage northward towards freedom. Steampunk is a literary genre which imagines an alternative history, almost always involving nineteenthcentury technology or.