What is Rufel?

Rufel represents a bridge between racial divides. Her character allows the others to see that color is not an indication of identity. Just as Dessa, Nathan, and Harker do not want to be minimized for their skin, so Rufel does not wish to be undermined for hers. Rufel carries Dessa's story from captivity into freedom, both in her narrative passages, and in their placement structurally between Nehemiah and Dessa's sections.