Roll Of Thunder Hear My Cry Jeremy Character Traits

In the historical fiction Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, written by Mildred D. Taylor, a character named Stacey ruminates whether or not Jeremy would be a better friend than T.J. Both T.J. and Jeremy have positive and negative traits that could make it hard to choose between the boys. However, it is apparent that Jeremy is the better choice, despite the story taking place during the Jim Crow era. Jeremy would be a better friend for Stacey because he is very dedicated towards his friendship, is generous towards both the Logans and Stacey, and Jeremy does not discriminate the Logans or any black people. The first reason why Jeremy makes a better friend for Stacey is because he is very devoted to his friendship with Stacey. In the book, Stacey

However, Jeremy, a white kid, walking with the Logan children, who are black, can be a problem. On page 14, Cassie explained, “He was often ridiculed by the other children at his school and had shown up more than once with wide red welts on his arms which Lillian Jean, his older sister, had revealed with satisfaction were the result of his associating with us. Still, Jeremy continued to meet us.” This exemplifies that Jeremy will withstand the bullying from the other white students in order to continue meeting up the Logan children. Furthermore, Jeremy is being bullied by his own sister, who walks with him to and from school, and yet he always stops to talk with the Logan children. Not only that, but the book took place in the Jim Crow era, where black people were separated from the white people. According to America’s Black Holocaust Museum, it reads, “Through racial segregation, blacks and whites were kept apart as much as possible. Laws

is because Jeremy is not racist towards any black people. In the book, Jeremy had not acted in a way that could have humiliated Stacey or any of the Logan family members. On the America’s Black Holocaust Museum’s website, it expounded, “Black people were rarely shown common courtesy by white people. In fact, whites often picked out for individual blacks for harassment.” This demonstrates that many white people in the time of the book would not treat the Logans, or any black people, equally. However, Jeremy treated Stacey and the others with respect, along with kindness. Likewise, T.J. does not always treat Stacey with the same demeanor as Jeremy. To further confirm the point, the Declaration of Independence also shows how Jeremy treats Stacey. According to the Declaration of Independence, it declared, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…” What this implies is that everyone is to be treated equal, just like how Jeremy treats Stacey and the other Logan children. To explain further, Jeremy is one of the very few white people who treats the Logan children just like his fellow peers, instead of treating them poorly. Overall, Jeremy’s respectful attitude towards the Logans and the other black people proves that he is a better person, especially since he treats Stacey differently than from the other white