Flyin' West

One of the earliest homesteaders to arrive in Nicodemus, Miss Leah is 73 and spent most of her life as a slave. Of the four characters born into slavery, Miss Leah is the only one with extensive memories and stories. While a slave, she was forcefully impregnated for the first time at 13 by James, another slave who was also forced. Together, they had 10 sons, who were all immediately taken and sold before James could see them. After slavery ended, they stayed together and had five more sons. James loved them with joy and gratitude, but when all five died of fever, James lost his mind and died soon after. Miss Leah walked west to find yet another new beginning, starting her own farm and cultivating the land in Kansas before there was much community to support her. After losing her first 10 sons and then her next five sons, Miss Leah has daughters and eventually a granddaughter.

Although her new neighbor Sophie eventually convinces Miss Leah to move in, fearing that she might fall or hurt herself alone, Miss Leah cantankerously defends her own independence. With similar personalities, Sophie and Miss Leah amusingly and wittily snipe at each other, sounding like the family that they’ve become. Miss Leah doesn’t hesitate to protect her loved ones, using what she learned as a slave to bake an apple pie that kills Frank when he threatens their freedom.

Fannie, who is 32, was born after slavery ended. However, her parents died when she was 12, and she alone cared for her baby sister until Sophie became part of their household. Fannie is softer and sweeter than Sophie and doesn’t fully understand the importance of creating an all-Black town as a place to find freedom. In contrast to Sophie, who is stubborn and practical, Fannie is whimsical. She loves flowers, and she plants them all around the house. Fannie’s in love with Wil, but both are too shy to express their feelings, so they’re slow to reach their happy ending.

In addition, Fannie is writing a book about the history of Nicodemus, which she plans to center on Miss Leah’s stories (though Miss Leah refuses to cooperate). Fannie is of a new generation and doesn’t fully understand the cultural significance of the oral tradition. Her romantic optimism is sometimes a problem, as when she supports Minnie’s lies about her abuse and encourages her to be patient with Frank. However, at the end of the play, Fannie demonstrates that she’s stronger than she seems when it comes to protecting her family. She ruthlessly convinces Frank to eat a slice of pie, serves it to him, and refuses to give him water as he begs for it and then dies.

Wil, who is 40, spent the first seven years of his life as a slave. He lived in Mexico and Florida but has ended up in Kansas as a neighbor of Sophie and her sisters. His support and expertise were instrumental in helping Sophie and her sisters to establish their homestead. In addition, he’s tended the Baker farm and Miss Leah’s property for them.

Kind and generous, Wil has a great respect for Black women, which his mother instilled in him. The women trust him, and he constantly helps them without complaint. When Frank mocks him for doing “women’s work” by clearing the table, Wil is unembarrassed to say that he was taught to help and make the work go faster. Wil also serves as a positive example of masculinity to hold against Frank’s abusive manipulation. Wil loves Fannie, which he demonstrates in the first scene when he attempts to embrace her. He’s also brave and protective of the women, even offering to shoot Frank. Wil implies that he has a dark past and may have killed a white man at some point, which suggests that his kindness isn’t simply borne out of innocence or naiveté. However, although he’s willing to protect the women, he stands aside when Sophie insists that she can protect her family herself.

At age 21 (by the end of the play), Minnie is by far the youngest character in the story. Minnie was a baby when Sophie joined their family and was too young to have input into the life-changing decision to move out west. She married Frank, who’s 15 years older, at age 19 after a two-week courtship as a way of asserting agency and leading an adult life. However, Frank isolated her from her family by moving her to London before becoming mentally and physically abusive. London seemed exciting at first, but Minnie became lonely and missed her sisters.

Of the characters, Minnie is the least affected by slavery. Consequently, she doesn’t recognize the patterns of a man who treats her like property by taking away her choices, forcefully molding her as a person, and hurting her when she disobeys. Minnie is too young and inexperienced to know what to expect from a husband, and Frank takes advantage of her. However, Minnie has learned from her sisters how to be a mother. After revealing that she’s pregnant, she stands up to Frank and protects the baby. At the end of the play, when Minnie gets the deed back, she becomes an adult with true agency, a home she owns and loves, and the support of the women in her family.