Elijah Freeman is the protagonist of the novel. He is 11 but tells Mrs. Chloe that he will turn 12 in 10 months, showing his desire to appear more mature. Maturity is a goal of Elijah’s throughout the novel; he wants to both show bravery and understand what adults mean when they say things in unclear ways.

Elijah’s character develops over the first half of the novel through a series of short incidents and interactions with others. Readers learn of his fear of snakes, his rock-throwing ability, his preference for the mule Flapjack (as he doesn’t like “horse-speed”), and his mischievous habit of sneaking into the woods at night with his friend Cooter. Readers then see Elijah dealing with situations of increasing complexity and emotion: The Preacher takes him to the carnival, a family of escaped slaves arrives in Buxton, Mrs. Holton learns that her husband is dead, and Mr. Leroy seeks help in bringing his family to Canada. In each event, Elijah is directly involved—winning against the carnival slingshot artist, welcoming the escaped slaves, reading the letter aloud for Mrs. Holton—and he reacts with traits that individualize him as an energetic, kind, and charitable boy.

The first half of the book is character-driven, but many details come out in the early chapters that strengthen the plot of Elijah’s quest near the book’s end.