From the very first time that the reader meets TJ, it becomes clear that although he is black, unlike many others he accepts the situation, and believes it is how they are supposed to live. For example, when the bus from Jefferson Davis school drives past Little Man is worried about getting his best clothes dirty and refuses to jump up on the bank, in doing so he is covered in red dust from the track when it passes by. TJ’s response to this is ‘Well, ole Little Man done got his Sunday clothes dirty,’ showing that TJ thinks that what has happened to Little Man is his own fault. He believes this because he thinks that Little Man should have jumped onto the bank to move out of the way of the Whites like everyone else does and like they are expected to. This is one of the ways that Mildred Taylor portrays TJ as a victim of the times.
TJ is portrayed as a victim when he robs the Mercantile with R.W. and Melvin he knows it is wrong and is afraid to do it, but feels that as he is with White people everything will be alright as they have a different way of living to the Blacks. Although the reader knows that TJ really does want the pearl handed pistol, when it actually comes to getting it he is frightened, but only goes ahead with it as he is with his White ‘friends,’ and wants the power it can give him. After he has robbed the store he feels very guilty and wants to go home but R.W and Melvin refuse, and TJ tries to stand up for himself but they beat him, and as they are White it would be believed that they are allowed to. TJ likes to be centre of attention, and this is another reason for why he becomes friendly with the White boys. When the Berry’s are tarred and feathered the Logans do not know, but TJ tells them. To make sure that they are all focussing on him he says ‘maybe I ought not tell y’all. It might hurt y’all’s little ears,’ prolonging the suspense. Due to this reason, when TJ turns up at the Logans asking for help Cassie thinks he is just trying to get attention and not really injured at all. She says ‘You sure you ain’t lying, TJ?’
Even from the beginning of the novel it is made clear that Cassie is not particularly fond of TJ. She thinks that he is obnoxious and cruel. She says ‘I didn’t like TJ very much,’ and ‘Yeah, shut up, TJ,’ which shows Cassie’s tomboy side, but is also quite a powerful and strong outburst, but at the same time expresses her true feelings. She also thinks that what TJ does to his brother, Claude, is wrong and that TJ is a bully. When TJ tells his parents that he only went up to the Wallace Store to get Claude, to avoid getting beaten, Cassie is disgusted to think that he could do such a thing to his family. She does not realise that TJ only acts like this because it how he believes he should act, and because of the way in which he was brought up. He only thinks it is how he should act because it is the same way he has seen the Whites treat the Blacks, and because the discipline he receives from his parents is not strong, he does not think it matters that he lies and gets his brother into trouble so as he can save himself.
As the narrator is ten year old Cassie, most of the book is told through her eyes of a child. She does not consider why TJ is like he is, instead just thinks that he is a bad person and totally responsible for his actions. However, the reader can see beyond this, and knows that the way TJ is like he is, is because of the place he is brought up in, and the racial tension and prejudice surrounding that area at the time. The reader can also see that TJ is a victim caught up in the goings on of that time. This is made clear when TJ robs the Wallace store. Even though he says ‘Jus’ look at it. Ain’t she somethin’?’ referring to the gun in Mr Barnett’s store, indicating that he really would like it, he actually feels alone, frightened and upset, all of which are obvious to the reader. It becomes clear to TJ that the White boys are just using him to get what they want, something that Stacey and Cassie could both see early on.
When Cassie realises, at the end of the novel, that TJ is not really a bad person, and that what happens to him is not really his fault, she pities him and like the reader, feels sorry for him. The closing thought in the book is the realisation and comes from Cassie, ‘I cried for TJ. For TJ and the land.’ As she knows that she will never see TJ again, she upset, and distraught because of the way she treated him before. At the beginning of the novel Cassie is very unforgiving and dislikes TJ a lot, but by the end she comes to realise that he is merely caught up as a victim of the times and what happens to him really is not his fault.
As Stacey is twelve, he is older than Cassie and understands TJ’s situation more. He provides a more balanced view. Although he rejects TJ at the revival because he is friends with the White boys and because he cost Mama her job, he still helps TJ in his time of need because he feels it is not entirely his fault. Everyone looks up to Stacey as he is a very trustworthy and respectful character, and because of this he does not turn TJ away, as TJ says his father would do. Although Stacey steals and destroys TJ cheat notes he does it for his own good. He also does not include TJ when they dig the trench to break the bus; he includes Claude but not TJ. He does this because TJ would not think it would be right to go against the Whites. He believes that the Blacks should be inferior to the Whites, unlike many others, and for that reason would try and stop Stacey, Cassie and everyone from digging the trench. He would also want the attention to be on him and he would not like it if it was focussed more on Stacey and Cassie. Unlike Cassie and Little Man, Stacey is not naïve. He knows the things that will happen and why, but he cannot stop them. He thinks that Blacks and Whites should be given the same opportunities. For example that they should both go to the same schools, and both have buses. He also believes that the land belongs as much to the Blacks as it does to the Whites, and therefore the Blacks should not have to sharecrop. Stacey is not like TJ in that he feels these things should happen.
When Uncle Hammer gives Stacey a new coat TJ hurls insults at him and makes him believe that the coat is awful. For example he says that the coat make Stacey look like a ‘fat preacher,’ and that it does not fit him properly. The reason behind this is not that TJ does not like the coat; it is because he is jealous of it and of the strong family bond the Logans have and wishes to be part of it. It is the same situation at Christmas when Jeremy gives Stacey a flute.
TJ also reveals that he wants the pearl handed pistol for ‘protection.’ He says ‘There’s other things a boy needs protectin’ from more than a rattlesnake. I get me that gun and ain’t nobody gonna mess with me.’ This shows that TJ wants the status and power the Whites have but knows that he will never actually get it because that is not how it is supposed to be. This particular piece of the novel reflects on the language used by TJ. It is written in strong accent, which emphasises the fact that he is Black and his so called friends are White, because they speak differently. Again, this is another way in which TJ is portrayed as a victim of the times
Throughout the novel it is clear that TJ is a victim of the times. The strongest way in which it comes across is his acceptance of the racist attitude towards him. For a twelve year old boy, today, this is hard to deal with, but at the time of the Depression in 1936 it is the way of life, or so TJ believes. He is quite easily caught up and used by the Whites. TJ believes that RW and Melvin are his friends, and also likes the power it gives him to be in with White boys, but after they beat him badly it is to his true friends that he turns to. Although he has been bad to them; getting Mama fired, taking Stacey’s coat, bringing RW and Melvin to the Revival, and mocking Little Man, the Logans still help TJ at his time of need. This is the type of family that TJ is jealous of and wishes that he could belong to. He would like the love and acceptance that the Logan children have, and to be brought up to respect others and be honest in the same way. Frequently throughout the novel Mildred Taylor does portray TJ as a victim of the times to a large extent.
