The Fraud

Andrew Bogle is a Black man who was born into enslavement and brought from Jamaica to England to work for a wealthy family, the Tichbornes. Andrew is intelligent and obedient, qualities that make him an excellent and trustworthy worker. Despite the appearance of familial kindness towards Andrew, the people who enslave him consider him below their natural superiority. Andrew is forever relegated to service roles, constantly on the brink of poverty even after his enslavement ends.

Andrew becomes a national celebrity through his association with the Tichborne Claimant case. Bogle stands out in this case because he appears to be the most honest person of them all. His story never changes, and he always remains calm despite the circus-like nature of the case. However, Andrew is also impenetrable. His apparent honesty and his calmness could be his way of hiding his deeper truths. An important aspect of his characterization is that he is multi-layered and knows how to code switch and what masks to wear depending on what social context he is in. His adaptability makes him, ironically, an unreliable narrator. While Eliza assumes that she knows him better than anyone else at the trial does, the novel implies that she is deluding herself: Bogle remains more private and complex than she gives him credit for. He also stops speaking to Eliza after the interview, suggesting that he realizes she is yet another oppressor seeking to use him for her own ends, even if she does not realize it.

Andrew Bogle is a character whose life story emphasizes the dehumanizing and unjust nature of Racism and Oppression. Although he serves as the inspiration for Eliza’s personal and literary awakening, he derives no benefit from sharing his story: Eliza takes his life story for herself and turns it into a novel—The Fraud—while Bogle himself dies impoverished and is buried in an unmarked grave.

Henry is Andrew Bogle’s third-born son and represents the future of race in Britain and its colonies. Henry is Black but is raised in a country and within a generation that has different, changing ideas about race relations, history, and progress. Henry is considered radical by his elders, but he feels this is necessary to overcome the systemic Racism and Oppression that exists in Britain. Henry recognizes his individual self-worth and refuses to play along with his majority-white society’s oppression of his potential. Henry has experienced racism and refuses to acquiesce to that racism.

Henry is important because he represents a new, younger, and more progressive approach to identifying what a Briton is or can be. He is also important because he confronts Eliza about her privilege and her inability to truly fight for the freedom of all people. Without Henry’s perspective and his courage in standing up for what is right, Eliza would never hear any challenges as to what kind of an ally she is. Henry is also pivotal in keeping Eliza close to the Tichborne case: When Andrew Bogle stops speaking with her, Henry fills that void for Eliza. He shows Eliza a new world in London filled with Black culture, art, and people, displaying a confidence and pride in his identity as a Black man.

William Ainsworth is an English novelist with access to a family lineage of wealth and privilege. Raised as a gentleman, William loses much of his family’s wealth while pursuing his creative and artistic endeavors. Though he is a prolific writer, his few literary successes are not enough to cement his fame or fortune. As time goes on, William’s family is forced to move into smaller homes so that William can focus on his writing despite his lack of success compared to huge names like Charles Dickens.

William is a sensitive person whose life and feelings are managed by Eliza. William is kind and often generous, but he is also selfish and out-of-touch. As close as he is to Eliza and as much as he respects her, he doesn’t consider her his intellectual equal. His ambitions are greater than his talent, and he often writes about subjects and people he doesn’t know anything about, further revealing his egotism and vanity. William’s sense of entitlement is indicative of his role in England’s social hierarchy: Despite not having earned it, William believes he is owed fame and wealth.

Sarah is William’s unexpected second wife. She starts off as a maid in his home but their affair leads to a pregnancy and, therefore, a marriage. Sarah is an unlikely match for William because of her role as a maid and also due to her socio-economic background.

The daughter of a sex worker and descended from convicts, Sarah has intimate first-hand knowledge of how the truly poor and dispossessed live. She grows up poor but proud, rejecting the contemptuous attitude the upper-classes have towards her. Sarah is authentically herself even if this comes with some embarrassment for her new husband and his elite social circle. Sarah is an important character in this novel because she highlights the privilege of William and Eliza: Through Sarah’s perspective, Eliza learns about different forms of privilege and of the complex passions surrounding the Tichborne case.