Touissant vs. Calhoun

Among other differences, I think the main characteristic which distinguishes Touissant from Calhoun is their experience as slaves. Touissant, referred to as “Old Touissant,” is motivated to join the Haitian revolution after a lifetime of slavery from which he was never liberated. However, Calhoun was liberated while still young and seems to take his freedom for granted. He became a member of the Republic almost by accident and remained ignorant of the way the slaves in Africa are treated on the slave ship until he witnessed it himself. However, I sense that Johnson sympathizes more with Calhoun than James sympathizes with Touissant because while Touissant’s experience did not prevent him from making a fatal mistake, Calhoun grew and became a better person from his experience on the Republic.