The Passing of Grandison

“When asked why he never did anything serious, Dick would good-naturedly reply, with a well-modulated drawl, that he didn’t have to. His father was rich; there was but one other child, an unmarried daughter, who because of poor health would probably never marry, and Dick was therefore heir presumptive to a large estate. Wealth or social position he did not need to seek, for he was born to both.”

This description introduces the main character Dick Owens, as well as several of his key attributes, foremost among which is his laziness. Dick sees no reason to be ambitious since he will inherit his father’s wealth and property without effort. A few white Americans in the South were able to create substantial fortunes through the work of enslaved people. Dick’s wealth and social position are both built on the torture and enslavement of human beings.

“Young Owens had attended the trial of this slave-stealer, or martyr,—either or both.”

Dick Owens attends the trial of an abolitionist who tried to help an enslaved person get to freedom. This quote shows the dichotomy of how two distinct groups of American society might interpret the same action. The Southern slave-owning class would interpret the man as having stolen valuable property. To Northerners, who generally disfavored slavery, the man might appear as a righteous figure who was killed pursuing his firmly held anti-slavery beliefs. The man plays both roles in popular opinion simultaneously.

“When I hear of a cruel deed it makes the Quaker blood that came from my grandmother assert itself.”

Charity Lomax characterizes herself by reference to her grandmother’s Quaker blood. The Quakers were a religious group that had a wide influence among abolitionists and other anti-slavery activists. Charity seems generally sympathetic to enslaved people, although later she scolds Dick for his reckless attempts to free