Junie

Bellereine Plantation, where Junie and her family are enslaved, is a symbol of entrapment. The plantation is located in Lowndes County, Alabama, just outside of Selma. Because of its geographical location, the property’s “earth is flat all around” (7). The towering main house is then situated in the middle of these sprawling, hill-less cotton fields. Its facade is “all refined right angles, slicing through the twisting oak trees and curving red dirt” (9). The house thus has an imposing figure; its looming Roman presence is a constant reminder that Junie’s life is controlled by the people who have enslaved her.

Junie’s life on the plantation affords her no freedom at all, and the plantation contributes to the theme of the Pursuit of Autonomy and Self-Emancipation. Her little acts of defiance afford her the illusion of autonomy but do nothing to actually liberate her from enslavement. Running into the woods, climbing trees, or reading in secret are ways for Junie to withstand her captivity, but they are all limited to the parameters of the plantation. Therefore, Junie remains entrapped until she finally crosses the property line, submerges herself in the river, and travels away from Bellereine.