The House Behind the Cedars

Like her brother, Rena Walden is tall and fair-skinned with straight black hair. Whereas her brother is commanding and self-possessed, Rena is shy and tender-hearted. John is more outwardly emotional, but Rena feels more deeply. When George discovers their secret, Rena is unable to mask her humiliation and resume her place in white society. Eventually, she finds a sense of solidarity with other black people and commits to improving their lives by becoming a teacher. However, the past catches up with her, and she dies tragically.

A wealthy scion of North Carolina, George Tryon is a 23-year-old attorney who has come to Clarence, South Carolina to try several court cases alongside John Warwick, and the two become close friends. George is a handsome and physically capable young man; he outperforms all the other riders at the tournament. His chivalric demeanor disappears once Rena’s real identity is revealed to him, and he breaks off their engagement. It is not until the end of the novel when he realizes that white supremacy has denied him a chance at happiness that he decides to propose again, but by then it is too late. 

Molly Walden is a beautiful middle-aged woman of mixed-race ancestry. As a girl she is noticed by a wealthy white man in the area, and he makes her his mistress. The attention of this man, who is never named, results in vastly improved circumstances for Molly and her family. In a short time, Molly’s patron has a house hidden by a stand of cedar trees made for her.

Molly is lighter-skinned than almost any other black person in town, and she considers herself better for it, showing how colorism can be present both outside and within communities of color.

Frank is the son of Peter and Nancy Fowler, two slaves assigned to the house behind the cedars by John and Rena’s father to care for Molly. Frank’s parents eventually buy their freedom and live across the street where they operate a cooper’s shop. The Fowlers are probably the darkest-skinned characters in the story, and Molly is extremely condescending to them.

Frank is a few years older than Rena, and he grows up with her, often taking care of her while she plays. He is completely in love with Rena but knows that she is far too high in the South’s racial caste system for her to ever consider him romantically. Nevertheless, Frank is a tireless friend to Rena who will always come to her aid without asking or expecting anything in return.

Judge Straight is the oldest lawyer in Patesville. From his time as a judge, he is widely respected for his fairness and decency. Black people may be afforded very few rights in the law, but Judge Straight can be counted on to see that they are respected to the fullest degree. Judge Straight is glad that slavery has been abolished. As a friend to John and Rena’s unnamed father, Straight tries to help John to pass.

Dr. Green is Patesville’s most prosperous doctor. He is entirely opposed to emancipation and the efforts of Reconstruction and serves as a foil to Judge Straight. He embodies the attitudes and prejudices of the aristocratic elite of the antebellum South. His supposedly refined manners are undercut by his steady use of vulgar racial slurs which he uses far more than any other character.

Jeff Wain is a mixed-race man from Sampson County, North Carolina. He is about 35 years old, handsome, well-dressed, and he presents himself as a prosperous estate holder in his home county. In reality, Wain’s herds are poor and his estate rundown. Wain’s syrupy affect proves to mask a brutish temperament, and his attitude toward Rena becomes increasingly aggressive.

A former slave of the Tryon’s, Plato is one of Rena’s students at the schoolhouse in Sampson County. Plato is clownish, often swinging from branches, and more deferential to George than the other black children think is appropriate. His relationship to George is surprisingly close. 

Blanche Leary is a young blond girl who is in love with George Tryon. George’s mother wishes George to marry Blanche, and the young woman learns as much as she can about his hobbies. Despite her desperate attempts to attract his attention, George is indifferent to Blanche’s overtures until he believes that Rena has forgotten all about him.