Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1976

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Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-3

Chapters 4-6

Chapters 7-9

Chapters 10-12

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

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Themes

Racism and Violence in the United States

As the novel depicts racist policies and customs, it also depicts the violence that allows for their enforcement. Racist characters commit burnings, shootings, and attempt lynchings to maintain the status quo in their community. The Wallace brothers, for instance, burn three men in the Berry family because one of them allegedly flirted with a white woman. When the Logans visit the Berry home, they see “A still form” with “no nose” and lips “wizened black, like charcoal” (97). By confronting the stark physical effects of racism, the novel shows the urgency that efforts to end racism require. Every moment that racism remains virulent in the Jim Crow South puts the physical wellbeing of Black people in jeopardy.

The novel situates racial violence in the Jim Crow South within a broader historical context. Mary tells Cassie how Black “people were first brought from Africa in chains to work as slaves in this country” (127). From the time of that violent introduction, she says, “most folks decided to believe that black people really weren’t people like everybody else” (128). Uncle Hammer advances Mary’s argument when he fumes about Mr. Simms pushing Cassie into the street. Hammer mentions that the United States exploited Black soldiers in World War II: “You think my brother died and I got my leg half blown off in their German war,” he says, “to have some red-neck knock Cassie around anytime it suits him?” (124). Both Mary and Hammer recognize that the dehumanization of Black people has allowed racial violence to continue.

Though Mary, David, and Hammer understand the threat of violence, they look for ways to push back against racist systems and acts. On Christmas Eve, Cassie overhears the adults discussing the risks of targeting the Wallace store. Mary advocates for a disruptive but nonviolent boycott: “the least we can do is stop shopping there,” she says. “It may not be real justice, but it’ll hurt them and we’ll have done something” (151). Uncle Hammer half-seriously advocates the use of force. He says, “I’d rather burn them out myself” (151). The Logans ultimately choose Mary’s plan with the support of Mr. Jamison, but they encounter violence, nonetheless. The Wallaces shoot at and wound David in retaliation for his trips to Vicksburg. In the Jim Crow South, white enablers ensure that race and violence remain entwined, feeding off one another to persist.

Land and Power

Throughout the novel, Cassie shows her love for the outdoors. She reverently describes the “Rain-drenched, fresh, vital” (195) smell of spring and longs to shed her school shoes because they “imprisoned freedom-loving feet accustomed to the feel of the warm earth” (5). But in early chapters, Cassie does not understand the particular importance her family places on the land that they own. She sees the sacrifices land ownership requires—“Big Ma, in her sixties, would work like a woman of twenty in the fields and keep the house; and the boys and I would wear threadbare clothing washed to dishwater color”—and wonders how the land could be worth them (7).

As Cassie learns about the racist systems that threaten Black lives in Mississippi, she also begins to understand the value of her family’s land. Ownership allows the Logans to receive cash profits for the crops they grow. Her parents can use that money to shop in Vicksburg if they choose. But sharecropping families, such as the Turners, often earn credit to the Wallace store instead of cash. That arrangement forces the Turner family to shop at the Wallace store, no matter how hatefully its owners behave. Ownership also protects the Logans from eviction. When Mr. Granger learns about the families shopping in Vicksburg, he tells T.J.’s father that they “can jus’ get off his land” (204). Owning their land provides the Logans with relative security. As David tells Stacey: “You were born blessed, boy, with land of your own. If you hadn’t been, you’d cry out for it while you try to survive” (205).

For white Southerners in the novel, controlling the land serves as a means of controlling Black communities. Mr. Jamison tells Cassie how Harlan Granger’s desire to reclaim land that once belonged to his family overlaps with his desire to uphold white supremacy. The Granger ancestors, Mr. Jamison says, “were consulted about everything concerning this area and they felt it was up to them to see that things worked…according to the law—a law basically for whites” (163). Mr. Granger feels entitled to maintain that sort of authority and power. When he tells the Logans that their land “was Granger land before it was Logan,” David corrects him by saying “Slave land” (169). By resisting Mr. Granger’s attempts to buy their land, the Logans deny him the power he covets.

On the novel’s final page, Cassie says that she “cried for T.J. For T.J. and the land” (276). She recognizes what it costs her father to protect T.J. from immediate death. David harnesses the power of his land but decreases its value in the process; destroying a quarter of the Logans’ cotton crop puts the family’s livelihood in jeopardy. Cassie mourns the necessity of David’s choice. If David had a say at the end of the novel, he might repeat wisdom that he tells Cassie earlier in the story: “We keep doing what we gotta, and we don’t give up. We can’t” (206).

Family and Loyalty

When Cassie feels shaken by the racism and violence she witnesses and endures, she turns to her family members for guidance. Big Ma, Mary, and David each steer Cassie through a difficult circumstance, engaging her in thoughtful conversations that reveal their serious commitment to Cassie’s wellbeing. Cassie and her siblings reward their parents’ dedication with unflinching loyalty. Stacey, for instance, allows T.J. to get away with dishonest behavior for most of the boys’ friendship, but he draws the line when T.J.’s behavior harms Mary Logan. Stacey tackles T.J. and then tells him “We don’t want no more to do with you” (193). The Logan children collectively turn their backs on T.J., united in defense of their mother. Though Stacey ends his friendship with T.J., the lessons Mary and David have taught their children about loyalty prevent him from entirely abandoning T.J. When T.J. desperately needs help, the Logans all play a part in preventing his lynching.

The Logans also inspire loyalty in others. From Jeremy Simms’s dogged determination to befriend Stacey to Mr. Jamison’s decision to support their Wallace store boycott, the Logans’ supporters do not often waver in their dedication. More than anyone else, Mr. Morrison mirrors the loyalty he receives from the Logans. When Mary suggests he leave their family for his safety, Mr. Morrison politely refuses. He confesses that if he’d had children, he would have “wanted a son and daughter just like [Mary and David] …and grandbabies like [their] babies” (226). Mr. Morrison’s loyalty to the Logans grows until it resembles a familial connection. Mary tells him: “you’re a part of us now” (226). Though Mr. Morrison came to the Logans’ home to protect them during a dangerous time, he stays because he belongs.