Gem of the Ocean Characters

Aunt Ester is an old woman who is widely respected as a “spiritual advisor” in the Black community of Pittsburgh’s Hill District. She was formerly enslaved, though she seems to have escaped. She tells her… read analysis of Aunt Ester

Citizen Barlow is a young man from Alabama. He escapes his home state and travels north in the hopes of finding a better life, but the odds are stacked against him. He settles in the… read analysis of Citizen Barlow

Solly is an older man who often visits Aunt Ester’s house. He talks about wanting to devote himself to Aunt Ester as her lover, but they never actually get together. He was enslaved as… read analysis of Solly Two Kings

Caesar Wilks is a domineering but not very powerful member of the Hill District’s law enforcement. Unlike his sister, Black Mary, he thinks only of himself and is skeptical of Aunt Ester’s ability… read analysis of Caesar Wilks

Eli oversees Aunt Ester’s day-to-day life as a spiritual advisor. When Citizen comes to see Aunt Ester, for instance, Eli tells him to come back on a different day, not wanting to wake Ester… read analysis of Eli

Rutherford Selig is a traveling salesman who often visits Aunt Ester’s house. He frequently tells the people in Aunt Ester’s household about what’s going on in the community, giving them updates on the latest… read analysis of Rutherford Selig

Garret Brown is a worker at the local mill in the Hill District. When Citizen steals a bucket of nails, Garret is the one who gets blamed. Caesar tries to arrest him, but Garret jumps… read analysis of Garret Brown

Aunt Ester tells Citizen to visit Jilson Grant in preparation for his trip to the City of Bones. She says that Jilson Grant has to give him a piece of iron before he makes the… read analysis of Jilson Grant