The House Behind the Cedars

The narrative shifts to tell the story of Molly Walden’s life. Molly is born to free parents of mixed white, African, and Native American ancestry. Her father dies when she is still a child. One day, a white gentleman spots Molly at the well by their house. He begins to visit frequently, and the family’s fortunes rise tremendously.

Soon Molly, though still a child, is installed in a house of her own. Molly is grateful to her benefactor, though there are moments in which she sees the situation more clearly for what it is. The man dies several years before the war when Rena is only a few years old. Molly’s comfort is gone, but the family manages to survive on the scraps that remain.

In 1855, John Walden is fifteen. He is visibly indistinguishable from white children but is beaten by other boys for claiming to be white. John is a clever child who soon realizes his place in society and yearns to rebel against it. One day he appears before Judge Straight and announces his desire to become a lawyer. The judge is amused by the child’s self-confidence, and, from John’s features he discerns that an old friend of his is John’s father.