Question

"Well, I still say I've got a right to decide what I ride and for who. I'm not your slave anymore." I remember my daddy got real quiet. If I just hadn't added that last bit, maybe he would have taken the time to talk more to me. Now his mind closed. "Makes no difference about that. I'm still your daddy, and you're still a boy with a boy's judgment. I say no about a thing, then it's finished." The young manhood in me got my back up. "Well, you didn't tell that man from Alabama anything about you being my daddy, just that I was 'your boy'! Figure that says more than anything else! Now, I want to ride that stallion!" —The Land,
Mildred D. Taylor

How is Paul characterized in this passage? Explain how this characterization fits into the larger story told in The Land.

Answer 1

In this passage, Paul is characterized as upset. He is talking back to his father and being disrespectful because he is angry about how he is being treated. He is upset that his father called him his boy instead of his son. He is also upset that his father will not let him make his own decisions about riding other people's horses. Paul is starting to feel more apart from his own family than he ever has before. In the story, Paul is realizing the differences between him and his white family.

Answer 2

The Land is set in America after the Civil War. The story takes place in the South. Many details help show this time period. First, there is tension between whites and African Americans. Not everyone can read or write. People are treated differently and cannot go to school together. People also travel using horses and wagons.