Christopher Paul Curtis wrote Elijah of Buxton, a Newberry Honor book. This story takes place in the town of Buxton, Canada during the mid 1880’s. Elijah of Buxton is told in first person point of view with Elijah being the main character. Elijah, an eleven-year-old boy, was the first child born free in the town of Buxton. Cooter is Elijah’s best friend, but would sell him out in a second to save his own skin. The Preacher is actually just Zephariah, but he loves to exaggerate everything including his own name. Elijah was always considered a fragile child until an encounter with what he thought he knew and what was right.
The Right Reverend Deacon Doctor Zephariah Connerly the Third stole Mr. Leroy’s money meant to buy his family out of slavery. Elijah found out first hand how slaves were treated. He also learned how strong love is. A mother’s love gave her child a free life at the cost of her own. This book is about growing up in a free life while others still are bound to their owners, and are depended on those who are free. Elijah learns even when things seem the worst, there is always something to give life meaning. The protagonist of Elijah of Buxton is Elijah Freeman, and the antagonist is Zephariah Connerly.
Elijah is the main character because he is featured in all of the scenes, and he is the narrator of this story. Zephariah is the antagonist because even though he is called the Preacher, Zephariah is a reprobate. When he stole money from a friend to gamble, Elijah went to retrieve the money. Because of Zephariah, Mr. Leroy’s family remained in slavery, but thanks to Elijah, a baby was able to become free. Zephariah would cheat people out of money and anything else they would have. When Elijah caught fish, Zephariah stole four of them by confusing Elijah into thinking one-tenth of ten was four.
Zephariah would take advantage on the simpleminded people of Buxton, and he would always prosper. Even when Mr. Leroy tried to buy his family’s freedom, Zephariah cheated him. Elijah is a dynamic character because he grew both intellectual and emotionally. At the beginning Elijah was a fragile boy; he would cry over the smallest things. He would also run when he was scared or afraid. Zephariah was able to convince him of things because he was quite gullible. Snakes would make him run to the woods even if his dignity was on the line. After he tried to retrieve Mr.
Leroy’s money, Elijah began to see things in a new way. When Elijah started to grow up, his mother was the first to notice. She noticed when he did not run away when feelings started to flow. He also did something towards the end of the book he could not do in the beginning. Elijah carried a baby, Hope, away from her mother to her freedom. He left the mother chained to a wall. He had the courage to walk away from her because she could not be saved. Hope was saved because she was meant to be, and Elijah had the courage to make it happen. Chains are symbols used throughout this book.
They symbolized slavery, but when they were broken, freedom took its place. When Elijah discovered a mother and her family chained to a wall, he knew they were slaves. He did not have to ask or read anything because they were in chains. The chains meant they were somebody’s slaves. After Elijah took the baby, she was free because she did not have chains. Her chains were broken, which symbolized freedom. If you put everyone in chains then other countries would know we were slaves to our country. They would be able to tell this by just looking at our chains.
However, if those same people broke the chains then everyone could see they became free. They would be free simply because they were without chains. Sometimes you can see the chains, but other times you cannot. Rules and laws are chains because they keep us behaving a certain way, and they prevent us from escaping their grip. The theme from this book is when times are at their worst, miracles become visible. Miracles always happen, but we only see them if we are looking for them. When a family was chained to wall because they were slaves, their lives could not get any worse.
It was a miracle when Elijah came around, and saved Hope. Elijah taking Hope to freedom was a miracle because she finally had a chance to live. What should have been her end became her beginning. When everything is going how they should miracles are not visible because no one is looking for them, but when you look for them, they are always there. Miracles happen all around us, and they happen to everyone. A child being born is a miracle, but if a family has been trying to have children then the miracle is more visible. Miracles are only visible if you look for them.