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Summary and Analysis of The Underground Railroad: Based on the Book by Colson Whitehead
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About this ebook
So much to read, so little time? This brief overview of The Underground Railroad tells you what you need to know—before or after you read Colson Whitehead’s book.
Crafted and edited with care, Worth Books set the standard for quality and give you the tools you need to be a well-informed reader.
This short summary and analysis of The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead includes:
About The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead:
Colson Whitehead’s National Book Award–winning The Underground Railroad is a bold, original, and unflinchingly brutal portrait of slavery during the darkest period in American history.
On the cusp of womanhood, Cora is a runaway slave, pursued by her memories of abuse and abandonment, and by the implacable and notoriously cruel slave hunter known as Ridgeway. Her journey on the Underground Railroad—in Whitehead’s conceit, a literal, subterranean railway—propels her journey across a dangerous landscape in search of freedom.
The summary and analysis in this ebook are intended to complement your reading experience and bring you closer to a great work of fiction.
Crafted and edited with care, Worth Books set the standard for quality and give you the tools you need to be a well-informed reader.
This short summary and analysis of The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead includes:
- Historical context
- Chapter-by-chapter summaries
- Analysis of the main characters
- Themes and symbols
- Important quotes
- Fascinating trivia
- Glossary of terms
- Supporting material to enhance your understanding of the original work
About The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead:
Colson Whitehead’s National Book Award–winning The Underground Railroad is a bold, original, and unflinchingly brutal portrait of slavery during the darkest period in American history.
On the cusp of womanhood, Cora is a runaway slave, pursued by her memories of abuse and abandonment, and by the implacable and notoriously cruel slave hunter known as Ridgeway. Her journey on the Underground Railroad—in Whitehead’s conceit, a literal, subterranean railway—propels her journey across a dangerous landscape in search of freedom.
The summary and analysis in this ebook are intended to complement your reading experience and bring you closer to a great work of fiction.
Author
Worth Books
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signupSummary and Analysis of
The Underground Railroad
Based on the Book by Colson Whitehead
Logo2The summary and analysis in this ebook are meant to complement your reading experience and bring you closer to a great work of fiction. This ebook is not intended as a substitute for the work that it summarizes and analyzes, and it is not authorized, approved, licensed, or endorsed by the work’s author or publisher. Worth Books makes no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this ebook.
Contents
Context
Overview
Cast of Characters
Summary
Character Analysis
Themes and Symbols
Author’s Style
Direct Quotes and Analysis
Trivia
What’s That Word?
Critical Response
About Colson Whitehead
For Your Information
Bibliography
Copyright
Context
Slavery, America’s original sin, has long lurked in the background of American literature, a topic too painful for some to confront head on and too shameful for others to discuss. Since the publication of Uncle Tom’s Cabin in 1852, few novelists have approached it, though Toni Morrison’s Beloved and Edward P. Jones’s The Known World are notable for their commercial success and the academic praise they received.
Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad was published amid a renewed interest in the history of slavery and, particularly, the
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