The Longest Memory

by

Fred D’Aguiar

The deputy Character Analysis

The second-in-command on Mr. Whitechapel’s plantation. He is Mr. Whitechapel’s trusted lieutenant. However, on the night when Chapel is captured after running away from the plantation, the deputy is not on the plantation because he has snuck off to spend time with his wife (something he does regularly). As a result, there is no one at the plantation to ensure that Mr. Whitechapel’s orders are followed, and Sanders Junior decides to punish Chapel much more harshly than Mr. Whitechapel intended, causing Chapel’s death. Mr. Whitechapel later reprimands the deputy for “behaving foolishly" in leaving the plantation when he should have been on duty.
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The deputy Character Timeline in The Longest Memory

The timeline below shows where the character The deputy appears in The Longest Memory. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1: Whitechapel
Freedom vs. Obedience Theme Icon
Punishment and Cruelty Theme Icon
Love, Sex, and Family Theme Icon
...his trip to the North, ultimately decides that he cannot wait anymore and tells the deputy that once Chapel is captured he should be locked up until Mr. Whitechapel returns. At... (full context)
Freedom vs. Obedience Theme Icon
Racism and Inequality Theme Icon
Punishment and Cruelty Theme Icon
Love, Sex, and Family Theme Icon
...and therefore ensures that his orders are obeyed. However, when Whitechapel subsequently doesn't see the deputy anywhere on the plantation, he begins to panic. The overseer, Sanders Junior, tells Whitechapel that... (full context)
Punishment and Cruelty Theme Icon
Love, Sex, and Family Theme Icon
Panicked, Whitechapel sends a slave to look for the deputy, despite the fatal danger for slaves to be found off the plantation at night. Chapel... (full context)
Chapter 2: Mr. Whitechapel
Freedom vs. Obedience Theme Icon
Racism and Inequality Theme Icon
...plantation the next day, Mr. Whitechapel launches in a long monologue to Sanders Junior, the deputy, and Whitechapel, accusing all of them of behaving foolishly and causing Chapel’s brutal death. The... (full context)
Freedom vs. Obedience Theme Icon
Racism and Inequality Theme Icon
Punishment and Cruelty Theme Icon
...employees he is not actually worried about Whitechapel but, instead, about them. He scolds the deputy for leaving the plantation and angrily demands an explanation. Mr. Whitechapel also tells Sanders Junior... (full context)