Daughters of the Dust

Elizabeth Peazant is the novel’s deuteragonist. Marked as special by the ancient spirits since before her birth, Elizabeth is a brilliant girl who possesses “de way of de elders” (306). Elizabeth has a unique ability to bring together the “old ways” and the “new ways.” She incorporates traditions such as the making of folk-magic charms into her daily life, while striving to bring progress and opportunity to Dawtuh Island. Elizabeth also acts as a grounding force for the Peazants, holding her family together through hard times.

Initially, Elizabeth acts as a foil to Amelia. Whereas Amelia has a shaky sense of self and no community, Elizabeth is at the center of a thriving, loving community and appears to know exactly who she is. Though resistant to the idea of being studied by her cousin, Elizabeth quickly accepts Amelia’s presence, welcoming her into the larger Gullah-Geechee community. However, as the narrative progresses, Dash reveals that Elizabeth is not as sure of herself as she seems. Though she enjoys life among her family on Dawtuh Island, Elizabeth longs for greater access to education and opportunities. The limitations placed upon Gullah-Geechee people make her hesitant to dream of a better future for herself, but she actively tries to provide opportunities for others on the island. While working as a teacher, Elizabeth repeatedly gets in trouble for attempting to teach her students skills that go beyond what is deemed necessary for life on the island. She feels constrained by “who she [is] and what little her future [holds]” (275), seeing a return to servitude or teaching at the Dawtuh Island school as her only options. Elizabeth characterizes herself as “afraid to dream” (40) of a future beyond what has been ordained for her.

Elizabeth’s growing relationship with Amelia eventually encourages her to confront her fear of dreaming of a bigger future. Her intellect and her talent at making charms eventually afford her the chance to work at a Parisian boutique. At the end of the novel, Elizabeth prepares to travel to Paris, seeking her future beyond the islands. While other Peazants have experienced the loss of family ties as a result of leaving Dawtuh Island, Elizabeth is determined to maintain those ties. As was decreed by the old spirits before her birth, Elizabeth will be free to explore the world, but can “always come back” (306) to her community. Her character ultimately represents the harmonious coexistence of preservation and progress.

Haagar Peazant is Amelia’s grandmother. Haagar is controlling and strongly principled, but she is willing to step on others to get what she wants. She migrated to Harlem from Dawtuh Island 24 years prior to the start of the novel and has never looked back. Haagar is determined to ensure her family’s upward mobility and believes that to do so, she must destroy all traces of their Gullah-Geechee heritage. She pushes her daughter and granddaughter to assimilate into the culture of the well-educated Black urbanites in Harlem.

Haagar’s commitment to severing her Gullah-Geechee roots is so strong that she has snubbed her own daughter, Iona, for her choice to remain on Dawtuh Island. Haagar is horrified to learn that Amelia is voluntarily returning to the island. She attempts to stop Amelia from leaving, and once she is gone, sends regular letters demanding her return. Haagar’s genuine fear and contempt for Gullah-Geechee culture baffles Amelia until she uncovers more of Haagar’s traumatic past on Dawtuh Island. Haagar grew up in the impoverished neighborhood of Hog Alley. Abandoned by her mother, she was left with an abusive and neglectful father in Jackson Devries and fled for Harlem as soon as she was able to. She covers up her past in an attempt to avoid the pain of remembrance.

By the end of the novel, readers better understand the origin of Haagar’s vitriol toward her own heritage. Haagar was never treated with kindness or love; Amelia wonders “what she would have been like if she had known love at any point in her life” (298). Although she doesn’t approve of Amelia’s return to the island, her decision to give Amelia money for the transition shows that she does care about her family. Amelia recognizes that Haagar is “not an evil woman,” (298), but is instead someone who has received little love in her life and acts selfishly out of self-preservation. Her character represents the complex legacy of migration and the cost of turning one’s back on one’s history and community.

Myown Varnes (nee Peazant) is Amelia’s mother. Myown is a timid and tractable woman who is ignored by her husband and overshadowed by her mother, Haagar. Life in Harlem does not suit Myown, who misses the family she left behind on Dawtuh Island. Myown was pushed by Haagar into “marrying up” by wedding a man with a white background for status instead of for love. Myown spends much of the novel with an unknown illness that is seemingly exacerbated by the lack of love in her life. Amelia notes that on their single visit to Dawtuh Island together, Myown seems healthier and happier than ever before. Her failure to thrive in New York emphasizes The Importance of Family and Community.

Amelia and Myown have a close connection, with Myown doing what she can to stand up for her daughter. Myown is glad when Amelia has the opportunity to return to Dawtuh Island and encourages her to stay as long as she needs to. She wants her daughter to feel the love of a large, connected family that has been denied to both of them in New York. At the end of the novel, Amelia returns the favor by bringing Myown to Dawtuh Island, where she is finally reunited with her estranged family.