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Hilary Martin asked this question about The Underground Railroad:
Who was Ollie (at the end with the horseshoe brand)? I feel like I am supposed to know him but didn't. He shared the same brand as Sybil but couldn't find a reference to him when I went back through the book. Stumped.
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 H…moreI 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.(less)
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The Underground Railroad
by Colson Whitehead (Goodreads Author)
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