As Nat makes his plans and recruits a small band of friends, this passage stops me cold:
One of these, an older man named Joe, has told me that he wants to be baptized and I look forward to the rites with satisfaction. (It is rare enough that I encounter a Negro with spiritual aspirations, much less one who also might become, potentially, a murderer.) (p. 320)
It is historical fact that religion and violence are inextricably entwined, that much evil is done in the name of faith and yet Nat appears to be more than just affected by spirituality (his original direction from God could be attributed more to the weakness and hallucinatory effect of a five-day fast) than by pure hatred and cunning. He handpicks his followers based on their degree of strength as well as depth of anger and hurt. He looks down upon his own even as he builds to a bloody rage against those who look down upon him.
It’s interesting. For me, it goes beyond cultures and offenses, but goes to the heart of all argument; human nature.
The Lost Children: A Charity Anthology