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juliemcl I came here to find out if anyone else had asked about this, and hadn't even remembered the reference to Sybil's brand. Thanks, Jenny, and thanks to Hilary for asking it. For further food for thought, it's on page 255 (U.S. hardcover 1st edition): "A horseshoe puckered on Sybil's neck, ugly and purple--her first owner had raised draft horses." The answer to this question is powerful because the man at the end may have known Sybil or even be a relation of hers (father or brother?) from a time when Sybil's family had been more intact. Sybil and Cora had become like sisters on the Valentine farm, and she was sort of Molly's godmother or auntie. They were ripped away in an instant, with a good chance Cora would never see them again or that they could be dead. Having this man be from the same place as Sybil, maybe having known her or even being related to her, is a parting gift from Colson Whitehead to the reader.

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Sally Whitehead I don't think we're supposed to "know" him, and it's a bit reductive to assume we should. The brand is surely symbolic of the fact that he too has an untold story of suffering, oppression and eventual "escape" - much like Cora. THIS is what she recognises in him. The closing lines even ponder "how far he had to travel before he could forget" - the answer undoubtedly being that neither he, nor Cora, nor us as readers will or should ever forget.

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Dorothy I think it was just the fact that he came from the same place as Sybil. She was Cora's friend and him sharing the same mark made her feel a sort of comfort. I could be completely off, but that was how I took it.

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julie

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Bridgit I'm glad you mentioned Homer, Christine. Cora not recognizing Homer was troubling, but of course the character of Homer was troubling. One could imagine that Cora never questioned any black person - that they'd all been slaves, or freemen who still had to worry for their safety - so that when she came to meet Homer and fully realize his warped reality, she'd have to consider who to trust. Nothing is safe. I now see that horseshoe on Ollie's neck was - as Julie mentioned - a parting gift from the author - an indication that this part of the story indicates some paltry amount of safety for Cora.

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Audrey Dombroski I'm so glad I wasn't the only one who wondered this! This was a time I wished I had read en e-book (vs. a printed book) where I could easily search this character's name.

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Christine I feel like I should know who this person is too. It's been bugging me a lot. I was thinking this person was a relative of Sybil's because of the horseshoe and the fact that he looked familiar. However, I hope it isn't something more sinister because Cora's memory of faces is not always great:
"There were people she'd never seen before, like the mischievous little boy who winked at her when their eyes met" (p. 282).

This turned out to be Homer...Ridgeway's "companion". How could she not have recognized him? I think the injury to her head early on in the book may have been the cause? She just never really seemed totally safe throughout the book (probably the point), I just can't believe that getting into the wagon with this "Ollie" was going to end well for her.

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Sarah E. I knew there was a character called Ollie and I noticed that Valentine's son was Oliver and they were planning to head west- I keep wondering about time travel in this book- the sci-fi / steam punk aspects are hard to wrap your head around I fully expected Cora had travelled through time- but then the last few lines made me think otherwise.

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