Aunt Rachel is a 60-year-old Black woman who works as a servant for Misto C's family. Her employer describes her as a cheerful person with a mighty physical frame. Formerly enslaved in Virginia, she carries the trauma of family separation hidden beneath her constant laughter. She possesses a natural talent for dramatic storytelling and draws heavily upon her mother's pride.

Misto C is a white farmhouse owner who employs Aunt Rachel. He serves as the frame narrator of the story, possessing standard American speech and a position of societal authority. He perceives himself as a good man but holds unexamined assumptions about Aunt Rachel's life. His curiosity drives his direct question about her apparent lack of hardship.

Henry is one of Aunt Rachel's seven children. As a young boy, he displays strong loyalty, promising to buy his mother's freedom. He carries distinct scars on his left wrist and head from a childhood accident. He faces separation from his mother during a slave auction in Richmond.

Aunt Rachel's mother is an enslaved woman from Maryland who exerts a powerful presence in her family's life. She refuses to be pushed around or disrespected by others. She works in the kitchen and possesses the ability to clear a room with her sheer force of will when she needs space to care for her family.

He is an enslaved man and the father of Aunt Rachel's seven children. Aunt Rachel remembers him fondly as a kind and affectionate partner. They face sudden separation at an auction block in Richmond.

He is a high-ranking officer in the Union Army. After his troops take over the Southern house where Aunt Rachel works, he asks her to cook for his soldiers. He assures Aunt Rachel that she is safe and grants her permission to scold anyone who gives her trouble.