Numbering all the Bones

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2002

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Prologue-Chapter 4

Chapters 5-9

Chapters 10-13

Chapter 14-Author’s Note

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Character Analysis

Eulinda Kellogg

The narrator and main character of the story, Eulinda is the daughter of Mama, an enslaved cook at the Pond Bluff plantation. During the narrative, she learns that her father is the master of the plantation, Hampton Kellogg. The Black man she originally believes to be her father was the husband of her mother, though he was sold and relocated to another plantation. Eulinda, who is enslaved, has two full brothers: Neddy, an older brother who runs away from the plantation to join the Union army and ends up imprisoned in the Andersonville prisoner-of-war camp; and Zeke, a younger brother who is sold without notice to another plantation after Miz Gertrude falsely accuses him of stealing a valuable ring. Eulinda also has a half-brother named Julian, a Confederate soldier who is imprisoned in a Union prisoner-of-war camp in the North. She has a half-sister about her age named Annalee who attends the Female Academy in Atlanta.

Eulinda’s relationships are the key to understanding why she is treated in certain ways by others. Hampton shares an informal, mutual closeness with Eulinda. She is often able to convince him to grant her favors, as when he rides into the prisoner-of-war camp and demands the return of Otis, Eulinda’s dog. Miz Gertrude, Hampton’s first wife and the mother of his children, keeps Eulinda as her special servant but treats her cruelly when out of Hampton’s sight. To Gertrude, Eulinda is the embodiment of her husband’s infidelity with his enslaved people. Mistis, Hampton’s second wife, treats Eulinda with generosity and favor, teaching her to speak properly and to read and write. Mistis has ulterior motives for doing so, however. With Neddy, Moll, Iris, and other Black residents of the plantation, Eulinda is regarded as someone who has not yet decided to which group she belongs and therefore she is not trusted with most of the secrets passed among the other slaves.

Eulinda possesses a vast ability to learn. As the story progresses, her grasp of the motives and consequences of the other characters increases greatly. Throughout the book she struggles with the concept of personal integrity, which she terms “becoming true.” In face of everything that transpires, her quest is to achieve the highest level of personal authenticity.

Hampton Kellogg

Hampton is a diminished character from the outset of the story who becomes more distant through the narrative. The wealthy owner of Pond Bluff plantation, at the start of the novel he has lost many of his enslaved people who have either run away or who were conscripted by the Confederacy to assist the war effort—though not as soldiers. The greatest weight Hampton bears is his unreconciled concern over his son Julian, a Confederate soldier who is in a Union prisoner-of-war camp. Seeing the conditions faced by Union soldiers at Andersonville does nothing to quell his fears.

Hampton is a mitigating force in the lives of his enslaved people, who regard him as an innocuous buffer between themselves and other white people, such as his two wives and officials associated with the Confederacy. The depth of his enslaved peoples’ reliance upon him becomes clear when they realize Hampton has deeded them along with the rest of his property to his second wife Mistis to avoid a legal technicality that might allow the Confederacy to confiscate their home.

During the narrative, Hampton suffers several “spells” that render him senseless. These events relate to the distress he experiences as the war progresses. Emerging from these events, he descends into childlike states in which he conducts strange, pointless scientific experiments. Eulinda believes these experiments are Hampton’s way of distracting himself from the undeniably horrible consequences of the war.

Mistis Jennie Kellogg

Mistis is the energetic second wife of Hampton. Secretly, she continually schemes, with the assistance of her brother Phineas in Atlanta, to gain funds from both the Union and Confederate war efforts. Rather than mistreating enslaved people out of a desire for revenge like her predecessor Gertrude, Mistis views them as commodities to be used as pawns, often to impress people. For instance, she publicly slaps Eulinda on their regular trips to Atlanta to demonstrate dominance; at the same time, she educates Eulinda so others will think she is benevolent and progressive.

Mistis is not as clever and well-concealed as she assumes she is. Most of the enslaved people learn early on that she cannot be trusted. Janie Hunt, the young mother who Mistis takes from the prison camp, quickly figures out not to trust Mistis when she offers to help her flee to the North. Mistis feigns the intention of saving Neddy from Andersonville for his own well-being, while in fact her real desire is to recover from him the expensive ring he stole. In addition, his return from the camp before his emancipation would ensure the ability to sell or barter another enslaved person.

Clara Barton

Clara is one of several historical individuals included in the story. The narrative is built around the actual events and dates when Clara, William Griffin, Dorence Atwater, and General Wilson were present at the deserted prison, working to transform it into a respectable cemetery for the deceased soldiers. The events around Andersonville occurred when Barton was already a prominent social figure and progressive crusader. By the time she brought a recovery team to the prison camp, Clara was already quite well known and trusted as a benevolent force. This caused dozens of families and homeless individuals to seek her out at Andersonville.

Clara is fearless, straight-forward in her actions and words, unassuming, and insightful. Clara is described as a person who makes things happen, regardless of whether there is a precedent. She is unconcerned about the opinions of others about her. She has amassed power and uses it for the benefit of people who are powerless. Clara is wise enough to understand the motives of the individuals she interacts with and willing to be confrontive when she finds it necessary to push her goals forward. In Clara’s dealings with Eulinda and others who are traumatized by the war, she expresses profound insight and compassion.