Literature of the Black Atlantic

I think that Calhoun and Toussaint are similar in the sense that they were put in similar situations, but I think that they differ greatly in how they handled those situations. Both Calhoun and Toussaint were placed in situations where they had to deal with groups who were in opposition, but a major difference is that Calhoun does not really side with or fight with either group, while Toussaint becomes passionately involved in the fighting. Calhoun becomes caught in the middle of the fighting that breaks out on the ship and wavers between siding with the captain, the crew, or the Almusseri. While Toussaint may have occasionally wavered in what he wanted to gain from fighting, nonetheless he was always involved somehow in the struggle for progress. Unlike Toussaint, Calhoun only become involved at the very end of his tale, when he was finally forced to confront Papa. Toussaint and Calhoun come from similar backgrounds, both having been former slaves who were lucky enough to have somewhat kind masters who saw the value of educating them. Both of them also have to deal with many prejudices in their lives that result from their backgrounds.
At the end of their struggles, I don't think that either of them really successfully reconciles the dialectical situation that they find themselves in. I think that Toussaint may have been closer to reconciliation than Calhoun though because throughout his dialectical struggle he had a cause that he was fighting for. Although he was thwarted before he could completely resolve his dialectical situation, I think that he made major steps during his life toward reconciling it. I think that because Calhoun is shown as a more ambiguous figure he does not come as close to reconciling his dialectical situation.