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Despite the story’s title, which names Grandison, Dick Owens is the story’s protagonist. He endures frustration as he attempts to get Grandison to flee north, and he is the only character who learns and, in some ways, changes during the story. Dick’s motivations for attempting to escort a slave north are not only selfish but disingenuous. While he and Charity object to the abusive treatment of slaves, neither holds abolitionist positions, and both rely on slaves for their wealth and leisure. Nor is Dick a particularly admirable young man in any other sense. The judge who tutors Dick in his legal studies acknowledges that Dick is able and smart. But without ambition or “the whip of necessity,” he simply chooses not to.
What Dick does well, however, is to observe behavior, piece together information, and draw conclusions. He adapts his plans to fit changing situations, and he talks his way out of problems. Grandison’s apparently faithful and unquestioning actions perplex him. But unlike his father, Colonel Owens, Dick apparently figures out why he failed to get Grandison to escape to freedom. When Charity complains that Dick is “a really clever man” but “utterly lazy,” she shows how well she knows him. However, despite his thoughtfulness and ability to learn and adapt, Dick does not change his perspective on abolition, and the story ends with him and his new wife enjoying their relaxing honeymoon at the plantation they will inherit, their needs met as always by the people legally enslaved by Dick’s father.
