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Narrator 

Paul-Edward Logan

Point of View 

The narrator speaks in the first person, and he tells the story of his youth from an adult perspective. His perspective is subjective, and he only narrates his own observations of other characters' emotions or motivations.

Tone 

Paul narrates his story as though he is handing down family history—honestly but with obvious passion for his subject matter.

Tense 

Past

Setting (time) 

Post-Civil War era

Setting (place) 

Georgia, Texas, and Mississippi

Protagonist 

Paul-Edward Logan

Major Conflict 

Paul, the son of a white landowner and his Black mistress, is estranged from his family and possessed by a singular desire to own several hundred acres of land. He struggles to purchase the land, hindered by a racist social structure in postbellum south.

Rising Action 

After suffering several setbacks, Paul, with the help of his friend Mitchell, finally manages to finance a deal on the 200 acres of land he wants. However, an angry poor white man shoots Mitchell and Paul's horse, leaving Paul with almost no means to meet his payments on the land.

Climax 

Paul's estranged white brother appears with an envelope from Paul's Black sister, Cassie. Inside is his mother's bequeathal: enough money to pay for the land.

Falling Action 

Paul proposes to his sweetheart, Caroline, and moves with her to his hard-won land.

Foreshadowing 

Paul's defense of Mitchell foreshadows Robert's betrayal of Paul; the presence of the two white boys on the forty acres foreshadows trouble for the Black men

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