The Role of Children

Just like the woman, children also played an important role in the novel. This may not be obvious but I believe that they had a lot to do with how Jefferson eventually became a man.  Neither of the children had a key major role in the novel but they contributed in the novel and even helped Grant achieve his goal of making Jefferson a man.

One of the key examples I realized about the children being a key factor in the development of Jefferson was when Grant gave Jefferson the pecans and peanuts that the children in the quarter had picked for him and he said thank you. That was the one of the first instances in where Grant believed that he was getting somewhere with Jefferson. I believe that the innocence of all the children actually caring for him showed Jefferson that maybe he does mean something to the quarter. Another example of the children’s role in the novel is during the Christmas play. Even though it was rainy and muddy that day, everyone in the quarter came to watch the play. This represented the unity that the children brought to the quarter. This also shows that even are the worst days, children could still make people come out and be together.

There may have been other examples of the children’s roles but I believe these are the most important in the novel. Also when the children visited Jefferson in his jail cell during his final days, it put a smile on his face. It was also nice to see that his little cousin Estelle was able to see him. She was shown crying several times in the beginning of the novel. These children affected Jefferson and the people of the quarter internally.