Middle Passage Study Guide

Rutherford Calhoun, a freed slave from the cotton fields of the south, finds himself in New Orleans, a city where he immediately feels at home. He describes the town as having an air of steamy sexuality, its citizens seemingly in the constant pursuit of sin, and the women, who are beautiful, always smell of roses. Rutherford admits to being a thief and living off others. Unable to find work in the salons and Negro bars, he turned to stealing, which comes naturally to him. Reverend Chandler, his master, had noticed Rutherford's manual dexterity when he was a young child and could do nothing to stifle the boy's tendency for thievery, although he tried to teach him penmanship and Biblical virtues. Rutherford reveals that he has always been drawn to extremes, to sensations and to new experienc... (read more)