Copper Sun

by

Sharon Draper

Polly Character Analysis

Polly is one of the novel’s protagonists; she’s a 15-year-old white indentured servant whose indenture is purchased by Mr. Derby on the same day that he purchases Amari. Polly has grown up believing that as a white person, she’s better than Black people. She’s openly racist and questions whether Black people experience feelings and pain, or if they even have a grasp on language like she does. Polly was raised by poor parents whose biggest goal was to see her become a fine lady. She thus expects to use her time on Derbyshire Farms to observe how the wealthy live so she can one day become a great lady. Instead, when Mr. Derby tasks Polly with “civilizing” Amari, Polly embarks on a journey during which she learns to humanize Black people and recognize the horrors of slavery. Prior to coming to Derbyshire Farms, Polly believed that it was right that Black people are enslaved. But as she gets to know Polly, Teenie, and Tidbit, she begins to understand that slavery is deadly and denies the humanity of its victims. This becomes especially clear to her when she sees the rice fields firsthand and learns how deadly they are. She becomes even more disillusioned when she realizes that Mrs. Derby isn’t a powerful figure just because she’s wealthy and white. Rather, Mrs. Derby is deeply unhappy and powerless under her husband’s authority. Seeing Mr. Derby whip Amari for tripping and spilling a pie is the final straw for Polly, as it shows her that Mr. Derby—and other white slave owners—will punish slaves for things that aren’t their fault (and she also suspects that Mr. Derby purposefully tripped Amari). Following the birth and subsequent murder of Mrs. Derby’s Black baby, Polly escapes south with Amari and Tidbit toward Fort Mose. Though Polly still retains some of her racist views, she begins to shed some of them and see Amari as a true friend as they have to work together to survive their journey. In Fort Mose, Polly’s education is a boon for the first time in her life, and she agrees to teach children to read and write.

Polly Quotes in Copper Sun

The Copper Sun quotes below are all either spoken by Polly or refer to Polly. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Slavery, Dehumanization, and Resistance Theme Icon
).
Chapter 14 Quotes

“Will you be wantin’ her mama, sir?” the auctioneer said to Mr. Derby. “I offer her to you first, out of respect, you see.”

Polly watched as Mr. Derby, who had walked up to the stage to claim his property, glanced at the older woman standing next to the slave girl, then said, “No, Horace, but thanks for the offer. Family ties only confuse the poor creatures. They’ll forget each other as soon as the sun sets. Trust me.”

Related Characters: Mr. Derby (speaker), Amari, Polly, Afi
Related Symbols: The Copper Sun
Page Number: 78
Explanation and Analysis:

Polly wondered if Negroes from Africa had feelings and intelligent thoughts or if that gibberish they spoke was more like the scream of monkeys or the barking of dogs.

Related Characters: Amari, Polly, Mr. Derby, Afi
Page Number: 78
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 15 Quotes

The young Master Derby carried a small whip, and he used it liberally to make Noah work faster. Polly noticed that the slave breathed slowly and loudly, as if he was tense, but he made no attempt to stop the young man from hitting him. She was always amazed at how much abuse slaves took without it seeming to bother them.

Related Characters: Polly, Clay Derby, Noah
Page Number: 80
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 16 Quotes

“I am Polly, and I work for Mr. Derby just like you.” She hesitated, then added, “Well, not exactly just like you. You’re a slave, which means you belong to him.”

“Slave,” the girl said clearly. Her eyes narrowed and her lips drew back fiercely over her teeth as she said the word. She knows exactly what that word means, Polly thought.

Related Characters: Amari (speaker), Polly (speaker), Mr. Derby
Page Number: 94
Explanation and Analysis:

“Well, pick my peas! A white woman as a maid and a beggar! Must not be no slaves from where she come from,” Teenie commented.

“Not all white people are rich landowners,” Polly said, almost coldly. “Most white folks I know scuffle for every scrap of food they get.”

“But they ain’t slaves,” Teenie reminded her quietly.

Related Characters: Polly (speaker), Teenie (speaker)
Page Number: 100-01
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 21 Quotes

“And that’s just the first part. Then you gotta tend to the plants and flood the fields and cut the stacks and thresh the seeds—seem like it go on forever. That’s what be in your future, Miz Africa. And when he get old enough, this here boy’s future too.”

Polly looked at Cato in disbelief. “They’d put Tidbit out there?” she asked, horrified. The thought of little Tidbit sweating and working in the dangerous swampy water made Polly feel ill.

Related Characters: Polly (speaker), Cato (speaker), Amari, Tidbit
Related Symbols: Babies / Children
Page Number: 134
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 22 Quotes

“Do you think Mrs. Derby knows what Clay is doing?”

“She know,” Amari said angrily.

“Maybe she can help you,” Polly offered tentatively. “She seems to be very pleasant.”

“She need help herself,” Amari replied sharply.

Polly tried to understand, but she couldn’t truly fathom the depths of Myna’s apparent distress. Slave women were always called to the bedrooms of their masters—it was simply a fact of life. Myna should understand that by now and be getting used to it.

Related Characters: Amari (speaker), Polly (speaker), Clay Derby, Mrs. Isabelle Derby
Page Number: 138
Explanation and Analysis:

Isabelle Derby sat pale and quiet, her eyes cast down through most of the meal. It was as if she was one of the many room decorations. Unhappiness seemed to ooze from her like perspiration on a humid day. Polly shook her head as she realized that being a fine lady didn’t necessarily mean finding joy.

Related Characters: Polly, Mr. Derby, Clay Derby, Mrs. Isabelle Derby
Page Number: 144
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 26 Quotes

“My beautiful baby,” she murmured over and over. Finally calmer, she looked up at Teenie and the girls. “I must explain,” she whispered, “before I die.”

“You ain’t gonna die, Miz Isabelle,” Teenie assured her. “You is fit and fine. Everybody feels a little poorly after havin’ a baby.”

Tenderly, Mrs. Derby touched the infant’s velvety brown face. “You don’t understand. My husband will kill me,” she said with certainty.

[...]

“He would never do such a thing!” But Teenie knew that Mr. Derby was probably quite capable of murder and would be within the limits of social acceptability to do so for this impropriety.

Related Characters: Teenie (speaker), Mrs. Isabelle Derby (speaker), Amari, Polly, Noah
Related Symbols: Babies / Children
Page Number: 170-171
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 31 Quotes

He took a deep breath, then said quietly, “I am ashamed to be a human being this morning. I witnessed not just murder last night, but violence and cruelty and vicious hatred. By saying nothing, I feel I am as responsible as my so-called friend who pulled the trigger.”

Amari and Polly exchanged stunned looks.

Dr. Hoskins continued. “I am just one man. I don’t know how to fight everything that is happening around me. I don’t understand how one man can own another. And I don’t know how to stop it.” He looked around at the deep woods and the darkness within them. “But I can help the three of you.”

Related Characters: Dr. Hoskins (speaker), Amari, Polly, Mr. Derby, Tidbit
Related Symbols: Babies / Children
Page Number: 202
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 32 Quotes

“My name be Amari,” she informed the two of them.

Polly opened her eyes and looked at Amari with a slight frown. “What’s wrong with the name they gave you?” she asked. “We’re used to it now.”

Amari took a deep breath of the woodsy air. “Not Myna no more. Amari.” She spoke with clarity and certainty.

If you say so,” Polly said with a shrug. “I suppose it is a good name for a free woman.”

“Free!” Amari exclaimed in quiet exultation. She had no intention of ever using that slave name ever again.

Related Characters: Amari (speaker), Polly (speaker), Clay Derby, Tidbit
Page Number: 207
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 34 Quotes

Amari sat close to Polly for warmth and companionship, looking at the fire, thinking not of the horrendous fire that had destroyed her village, but of the smoky cooking fires that decorated the front of each household as the women prepared the evening meal. If she closed her eyes, she could almost smell the pungent fish stew.

Related Characters: Amari, Polly, Tidbit
Page Number: 223
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 37 Quotes

“Of course, child. Everybody has slaves. How do you think we handle this land? But my Patrick is a good man and does not mistreat his property. Our slaves like it here.” Amari couldn’t understand how the woman could see no wrong in owning slaves as long as they were well treated.

Related Characters: Fiona O’Reilly (speaker), Amari, Polly, Tidbit, Patrick
Page Number: 256
Explanation and Analysis:

“It’s like this: if my Patrick brings home a new slave like he did last week, for example, that’s his right as master and man of this house, and I dare not interfere. As a woman, I ain’t got muckle to say about those kind of decisions. But when I got the chance to decide for myself, I find it gives me pleasure to choose to help you be free. That’s the truth, and I did not know it until I spoke the words.”

Related Characters: Fiona O’Reilly (speaker), Amari, Polly, Tidbit, Patrick
Page Number: 256
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 38 Quotes

“You know, I never really knew any black people before I came to Mr. Derby’s place. I mean, everybody had slaves, of course, but I never actually thought about them. And I certainly never had a black friend before,” she admitted.

Amari looked away. “Sometime I hate white people,” she admitted softly. “I never hate before I be a slave.” She stretched her arms. “I never even see white person until they attack my village. It be hard to have hate feeling and like feeling at same time.”

Related Characters: Amari (speaker), Polly (speaker), Teenie, Mr. Derby, Tidbit
Page Number: 267
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Copper Sun LitChart as a printable PDF.
Copper Sun PDF

Polly Quotes in Copper Sun

The Copper Sun quotes below are all either spoken by Polly or refer to Polly. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Slavery, Dehumanization, and Resistance Theme Icon
).
Chapter 14 Quotes

“Will you be wantin’ her mama, sir?” the auctioneer said to Mr. Derby. “I offer her to you first, out of respect, you see.”

Polly watched as Mr. Derby, who had walked up to the stage to claim his property, glanced at the older woman standing next to the slave girl, then said, “No, Horace, but thanks for the offer. Family ties only confuse the poor creatures. They’ll forget each other as soon as the sun sets. Trust me.”

Related Characters: Mr. Derby (speaker), Amari, Polly, Afi
Related Symbols: The Copper Sun
Page Number: 78
Explanation and Analysis:

Polly wondered if Negroes from Africa had feelings and intelligent thoughts or if that gibberish they spoke was more like the scream of monkeys or the barking of dogs.

Related Characters: Amari, Polly, Mr. Derby, Afi
Page Number: 78
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 15 Quotes

The young Master Derby carried a small whip, and he used it liberally to make Noah work faster. Polly noticed that the slave breathed slowly and loudly, as if he was tense, but he made no attempt to stop the young man from hitting him. She was always amazed at how much abuse slaves took without it seeming to bother them.

Related Characters: Polly, Clay Derby, Noah
Page Number: 80
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 16 Quotes

“I am Polly, and I work for Mr. Derby just like you.” She hesitated, then added, “Well, not exactly just like you. You’re a slave, which means you belong to him.”

“Slave,” the girl said clearly. Her eyes narrowed and her lips drew back fiercely over her teeth as she said the word. She knows exactly what that word means, Polly thought.

Related Characters: Amari (speaker), Polly (speaker), Mr. Derby
Page Number: 94
Explanation and Analysis:

“Well, pick my peas! A white woman as a maid and a beggar! Must not be no slaves from where she come from,” Teenie commented.

“Not all white people are rich landowners,” Polly said, almost coldly. “Most white folks I know scuffle for every scrap of food they get.”

“But they ain’t slaves,” Teenie reminded her quietly.

Related Characters: Polly (speaker), Teenie (speaker)
Page Number: 100-01
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 21 Quotes

“And that’s just the first part. Then you gotta tend to the plants and flood the fields and cut the stacks and thresh the seeds—seem like it go on forever. That’s what be in your future, Miz Africa. And when he get old enough, this here boy’s future too.”

Polly looked at Cato in disbelief. “They’d put Tidbit out there?” she asked, horrified. The thought of little Tidbit sweating and working in the dangerous swampy water made Polly feel ill.

Related Characters: Polly (speaker), Cato (speaker), Amari, Tidbit
Related Symbols: Babies / Children
Page Number: 134
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 22 Quotes

“Do you think Mrs. Derby knows what Clay is doing?”

“She know,” Amari said angrily.

“Maybe she can help you,” Polly offered tentatively. “She seems to be very pleasant.”

“She need help herself,” Amari replied sharply.

Polly tried to understand, but she couldn’t truly fathom the depths of Myna’s apparent distress. Slave women were always called to the bedrooms of their masters—it was simply a fact of life. Myna should understand that by now and be getting used to it.

Related Characters: Amari (speaker), Polly (speaker), Clay Derby, Mrs. Isabelle Derby
Page Number: 138
Explanation and Analysis:

Isabelle Derby sat pale and quiet, her eyes cast down through most of the meal. It was as if she was one of the many room decorations. Unhappiness seemed to ooze from her like perspiration on a humid day. Polly shook her head as she realized that being a fine lady didn’t necessarily mean finding joy.

Related Characters: Polly, Mr. Derby, Clay Derby, Mrs. Isabelle Derby
Page Number: 144
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 26 Quotes

“My beautiful baby,” she murmured over and over. Finally calmer, she looked up at Teenie and the girls. “I must explain,” she whispered, “before I die.”

“You ain’t gonna die, Miz Isabelle,” Teenie assured her. “You is fit and fine. Everybody feels a little poorly after havin’ a baby.”

Tenderly, Mrs. Derby touched the infant’s velvety brown face. “You don’t understand. My husband will kill me,” she said with certainty.

[...]

“He would never do such a thing!” But Teenie knew that Mr. Derby was probably quite capable of murder and would be within the limits of social acceptability to do so for this impropriety.

Related Characters: Teenie (speaker), Mrs. Isabelle Derby (speaker), Amari, Polly, Noah
Related Symbols: Babies / Children
Page Number: 170-171
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 31 Quotes

He took a deep breath, then said quietly, “I am ashamed to be a human being this morning. I witnessed not just murder last night, but violence and cruelty and vicious hatred. By saying nothing, I feel I am as responsible as my so-called friend who pulled the trigger.”

Amari and Polly exchanged stunned looks.

Dr. Hoskins continued. “I am just one man. I don’t know how to fight everything that is happening around me. I don’t understand how one man can own another. And I don’t know how to stop it.” He looked around at the deep woods and the darkness within them. “But I can help the three of you.”

Related Characters: Dr. Hoskins (speaker), Amari, Polly, Mr. Derby, Tidbit
Related Symbols: Babies / Children
Page Number: 202
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 32 Quotes

“My name be Amari,” she informed the two of them.

Polly opened her eyes and looked at Amari with a slight frown. “What’s wrong with the name they gave you?” she asked. “We’re used to it now.”

Amari took a deep breath of the woodsy air. “Not Myna no more. Amari.” She spoke with clarity and certainty.

If you say so,” Polly said with a shrug. “I suppose it is a good name for a free woman.”

“Free!” Amari exclaimed in quiet exultation. She had no intention of ever using that slave name ever again.

Related Characters: Amari (speaker), Polly (speaker), Clay Derby, Tidbit
Page Number: 207
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 34 Quotes

Amari sat close to Polly for warmth and companionship, looking at the fire, thinking not of the horrendous fire that had destroyed her village, but of the smoky cooking fires that decorated the front of each household as the women prepared the evening meal. If she closed her eyes, she could almost smell the pungent fish stew.

Related Characters: Amari, Polly, Tidbit
Page Number: 223
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 37 Quotes

“Of course, child. Everybody has slaves. How do you think we handle this land? But my Patrick is a good man and does not mistreat his property. Our slaves like it here.” Amari couldn’t understand how the woman could see no wrong in owning slaves as long as they were well treated.

Related Characters: Fiona O’Reilly (speaker), Amari, Polly, Tidbit, Patrick
Page Number: 256
Explanation and Analysis:

“It’s like this: if my Patrick brings home a new slave like he did last week, for example, that’s his right as master and man of this house, and I dare not interfere. As a woman, I ain’t got muckle to say about those kind of decisions. But when I got the chance to decide for myself, I find it gives me pleasure to choose to help you be free. That’s the truth, and I did not know it until I spoke the words.”

Related Characters: Fiona O’Reilly (speaker), Amari, Polly, Tidbit, Patrick
Page Number: 256
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 38 Quotes

“You know, I never really knew any black people before I came to Mr. Derby’s place. I mean, everybody had slaves, of course, but I never actually thought about them. And I certainly never had a black friend before,” she admitted.

Amari looked away. “Sometime I hate white people,” she admitted softly. “I never hate before I be a slave.” She stretched her arms. “I never even see white person until they attack my village. It be hard to have hate feeling and like feeling at same time.”

Related Characters: Amari (speaker), Polly (speaker), Teenie, Mr. Derby, Tidbit
Page Number: 267
Explanation and Analysis: