mystical African seeds. DuBois intertextualizes
his novel with the familiar western myth of Jason
and the Golden Fleece as a reference; Quest has
corresponding characters, such as Elspeth, Zora’s
mother, as Medea the witch.
Blessed, a gifted public speaker, quickly makes
a name for himself and is given the opportunity
to become U.S. treasurer (a titled but mostly
honorary appointment) through the assistance
of Caroline Wynn, a polished but unscrupulous
black woman. He loses the position through his
refusal to silence his criticism of the Republican
Party’s (his own party) treatment of racial issues.
He returns to the swamp and recommits himself
to community uplift. Zora’s time in the North, as
a personal assistant to a wealthy white woman,
transforms her into the polished, educated woman
Blessed always desired her to become. She also re-
turns home and becomes a great grassroots leader,
organizing the sharecroppers to achieve financial
independence. Through their commitment to the
community, Blessed and Zora are reunited.BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bell, Bernard W. The Afro-American Novel and Its
Tradition. Amherst: University of Massachusetts
Press, 1987.
Gayle, Addison. The Way of the New World: The Black
Novel in America. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday,
Anchor Books, 1980.
Adenike Marie Davidson424 Quest of the Silver Fleece, The