Atticus Turner is the protagonist of Lovecraft Country. Not only is his story the longest chapter in the book, but his ancestry is the catalyst for the narrative. Atticus is the descendent of a formerly enslaved woman who escaped the clutches of Titus Braithwhite, so his blood has a power and a potency which he must try to understand. Until this revelation, Atticus is a normal person. He is an African American man in a country which treats people of his race as second-class citizens. Despite his father’s aggressive attitudes toward racism, Atticus is willing to embrace White, mainstream culture. He loves reading books, even if they are written by racists. He joins the Army, even if that means enacting the foreign policy of a country which does not value him. Atticus is aware of the way racism impacts his life, but he is determined to enjoy himself and live his life anyway.

Atticus’s ancestry complicates everything. The irony of his ancestry is that the same blood which makes him a second-class citizen also makes him a valuable asset to a group of magicians.