Solomon Northup is the protagonist of the critically acclaimed autobiographical 2013 film 12 Years a Slave. Fearless and willing to face any obstacle, Northup is determined to return home to his family after being kidnapped and sold into slavery.
He is played by Chiwetel Ejiofor.
What Makes Him Pure Good?[]
- He only tackled Tidbits out of self-defense due to Tidbits trying to whip him and Tidbits attacked him first. It was also made very clear that Tidbit was going to kill Solomon or whip him severely for no reason whatsoever.
- During the mother scene, he confront the mother and said that to stand out from the beliefs of the other slaves is the best way to gain freedom.
- Despite going through extreme pain and torment on a daily basis Solomon remains determined to earn his freedom by outsmarting his captives, using the law to defeat them. While he may of fallen to anger once, considering how much he went through, his rage was understandable. He was deeply pacifist and while he stated plainly he would co-operate with his slavers (again, to earn freedom and trust) he would not back down against the cruelty of Epps or other racists
- When Patsey asks for Northup's help in her suicide, he bravely says no. He later regretted this choice when he is forced to whip her.
- Solomon confronted Epps over his blasphemy and sadism, stating that God would punish Epps for his sins.
- Solomon sympathizes with Patsey, a tragic young slave girl who is abused by Epp's psychopathic wife and also forced into being Epp's sex-slave, despite the fact she offers her "master" 500 pounds of cotton every day.
- While he is forced to brutally whip Patsey for going to a nearby plantation to obtain soap to wash with, Solomon was reluctant to and refuses to whip her any longer.
- While he left, he felt remorse over leaving his fellow blacks to suffer.
- He wrote a memoir, Twelve Years a Slave, in an attempt to end slavery.
External Links[]
- Solomon Northup on the Heroes Wiki