The Indigo Girl

Ben, whose last name is French for “fortunate” or “lucky,” is a secondary character and an eventual ally to Eliza. Enslaved since birth, Ben met Eliza as a child in Antigua, as he and his grandmother were part of a group of enslaved people working her father’s plantation. While Eliza and her family relocated to the American colonies, Ben was sold to an indigo maker in Montserrat. When he and Eliza meet again as adults in South Carolina, he is described as “a man […] almost [Cromwell’s] height, his skin burnished walnut, and dark, dark eyes […]. He [i]s dressed formally. Like a free man” (125). A native French speaker, Ben would often lapse into French when he was a child. Unlike most other enslaved individuals, he is literate thanks to Eliza’s teachings when they were children. Most importantly, however, Ben has extensive knowledge about indigo and the dye-making process, which he inherited from his grandmother, and he uses this knowledge to negotiate his manumission from the Cromwell brothers.

When Ben first reunites with Eliza, he believes her to be a coward for bending to the laws of the land that would keep enslaved people illiterate. They eventually reconcile, and he tries his best to help her in her venture by teaching her how to properly tend indigo crops. While Eliza eventually believes herself to be in love with Ben, he takes a romantic interest in Sarah, a fellow enslaved woman, and the narrative implies that he considers Eliza to be merely a friend. However, he proves his loyalty to Eliza when Cromwell attempts to ruin their indigo batch. Yet when she confronts him about the ruined indigo, not only does he lie and take the blame, but he also attempts to self-emancipate by joining the Spanish. While a fugitive, he drowns in the river, leaving Eliza to believe that his soul is finally free to return to Africa.

Charles is a secondary character in the novel. He is Eliza’s greatest ally throughout the novel and eventually becomes her husband. Initially married to Elizabeth Pinckney, Charles is described as having dark hair, a lithe body, and being “probably twice [Eliza’s] age. But so very pleasing on the eye and the sentiment” (172). He is also the uncle of Miss Bartlett, Eliza’s friend. Like Colonel Lucas, Charles is a plantation owner. He works as a lawyer in Charles Town. Compared to the Lucas family, Charles and his wife have a much more lucrative lifestyle and are often generous with their time and resources in order to accommodate Eliza and her family members. A kind man, Charles deeply loves his wife, but he is torn by their inability to have children.

He develops a fascination for Eliza, often praising and supporting her ambitious undertakings and nicknaming her a “little visionary.” When Eliza’s father first leaves his family behind in South Carolina, Charles often acts as a surrogate guardian, especially in difficult confrontations, such as when Eliza must contend with the rebellious Starrat. As time progresses, however, Charles becomes Eliza’s confidant and advocate. They engage in concealed correspondence by means of Eliza’s letters to his niece, Miss Bartlett, and romantic feelings eventually develop between him and Eliza, making him claim at the end of the narrative, “I have loved two women so very deeply for so very long” (302). After the death of his wife, Eliza proposes to him, and he accepts.

The Lucas family members are secondary characters who act as both antagonists and allies to Eliza. Colonel George Lucas and his wife, Ann, have a total of four children: Eliza, George, Thomas, and Polly. Colonel Lucas is a British officer and plantation owner. He is both a supportive character to Eliza’s ambitions and an impediment to them, for although he provides her with the power to run his plantations, sends her indigo seeds, and provides her with an indigo consultant, his efforts to become governor of Antigua place a heavy financial burden on his daughter. Likewise, while he recognizes Eliza’s intellect and independent spirit, he often bends to his wife’s pressure to help secure a marriage match for his daughter.

Ann Lucas is one of the central antagonists in the narrative. Often sickly and prone to headaches, Ann perpetually pushes Eliza to find a husband and cease attempting to run her father’s plantations. Although she does love her daughter, their relationship is tumultuous, and things come to a head when Ann decides that they need to return to Antigua. She shamelessly plots with Cromwell to ruin Eliza’s indigo dye, and after her betrayal becomes known, she and Eliza barely speak to each other. She eventually returns to Antigua, while Eliza stays behind.

George is the eldest son of the Lucas family and the eventual inheritor of his father’s estate. While generally absent from the narrative, his character haunts Eliza in all her decisions, as he is naturally given power over their father’s land, while she can only secure a temporary assignment despite her many qualifications. At the end of the narrative, he comes to settle their accounts and find a tenant for their plantations.

Polly is a secondary and neutral character within the novel. She is the youngest Lucas child, and her education becomes Eliza’s responsibility. She is often deemed a “chatterbox” for her propensity to ask endless questions. Though she can be rebellious, she often listens to Eliza and regards her as a mother figure.

Tommy is an absentee character in the novel. He dies from sickness in England while Eliza attempts to overcome Cromwell’s betrayal.

Quash, Essie, and Sarah are three secondary characters. All three are enslaved individuals who are made to work on the Lucas plantations. Quash is an ally of Eliza. Working as her driver and eventually as her main carpenter for building maintenance, Quash is a quiet man who is protective of the Lucas women when Colonel Lucas leaves for Antigua, specifically during the uprising. He was born from the love between an enslaved woman and the son of a plantation owner. After meeting Ben, he requests that Eliza teach him to read, and in his own way, he encourages her to persevere with her plans for indigo despite her failures.

Essie is Eliza’s maid and surrogate mother figure. A speaker of French patois, Essie often serves as the voice of caution and warns Eliza against her future struggles. A believer in magic, she uses her visions to advise Eliza against perceived dangers, such as when she perceives Sarah’s black magic to be a threat.

Sarah is an antagonist in the narrative, despite Eliza’s hopes that she might be willing to share her knowledge of indigo. Initially trapped in an abusive relationship with Starrat, Sarah is relocated to Wappoo, and this shift seeds a deep hatred for Eliza; Sarah purposefully attempts to ruin Eliza’s indigo crops. A strong woman, she deeply cares for her children. When Ben arrives, they have a relationship, and she becomes pregnant with his child. However, she miscarries, and Essie believes this to be backlash for using black magic against Eliza. When Ben dies, Sarah believes that she is the cause because she cursed whatever Eliza loved the most. By the end of the narrative, Boyd implies that Sarah may have shot and killed Starrat.

Starrat, Nicolas Cromwell, and John Laurens are three of the main antagonists in the novel.

Starrat is Colonel Lucas’s plantation overseer at Waccamaw. A man who enjoys abusing enslaved individuals, Starrat is implied to sexually assault enslaved women. He holds no respect for Eliza and often attempts to physically intimidate her. Likewise, he blatantly ignores her directives unless she purposefully uses her father’s influence. At the end of the narrative, he is shot and killed, and his murderer is never discovered, although the narrative implies that Sarah, an enslaved woman whom he sexually assaulted and abused, may be the culprit.

Cromwell is a Montserrat indigo maker. Eliza’s father hires him as a consultant to help her with her indigo endeavors. He is also the man under whom Ben apprentices. Prone to gambling, Cromwell initially tries to charm Eliza but often becomes condescending toward her. He attempts to usurp Eliza’s authority on the plantation and often claims Ben’s knowledge of indigo as his own. When Ann Lucas approaches him with her scheme to ruin the indigo dye, Cromwell sees an opportunity to do away with an indigo competitor while also possibly gaining the opportunity to marry the daughter of the future governor of Antigua. However, when his scheme is uncovered, Eliza fires him and requests that his brother recompense her family for their investment in Cromwell as a consultant.

John is a wealthy merchant avidly looking to purchase plantation land. Father to Henry Laurens, he initially devises a scheme to have Eliza matched with Henry for marriage—only to attempt to marry her himself. He and his son invite themselves to Eliza’s plantation, where he proves to be pompous and self-aggrandizing. Because he is callous and cruel to enslaved people, Eliza eventually chases the father and son out of her plantation when John hits Sarah with his cane.