Uncle Bo Character Analysis in Voyage in the Dark

Uncle Bo is Anna’s uncle who lives in the West Indies. He’s a heavy drinker who often finds himself at odds with his Anna’s stepmother, Hester, who disapproves of the life he leads. Hester reveals in a conversation with Anna that Uncle Bo has impregnated many Black women in the West Indies. He apparently makes no secret of this, even giving these children his last name—something Hester finds inexcusable, as she’s quite racist and thinks Uncle Bo is dishonoring the family name. When Hester asks Uncle Bo to pay for half of Anna’s passage back to the West Indies, Uncle Bo writes a letter refusing to give her any money. He points out that Hester should use the funds she received from selling her late husband’s estate, taking issue with the implication that Anna is his financial responsibility. Although Anna reads this somewhat hurtful letter, she still has fond memories of Uncle Bo, who at least says he’d be happy to have her live with him, as long as Hester pays for her to do so.

Uncle Bo Character Timeline in Voyage in the Dark

The timeline below shows where the character Uncle Bo appears in Voyage in the Dark. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

As Anna drinks whiskey, she tells Walter about her life in the West Indies. Her Uncle Bo is a big drinker, she explains, but it’s hard to tell when he’s drunk. She... (full context)

...a pressing matter to discuss with Anna—it has to do with correspondence she’s had with Uncle Bo about Anna’s future. Hester originally wrote him a letter saying that Anna would be better... (full context)

Hester shows Anna the response from Uncle Bo . He opens by noting that he never approved of Anna’s new life as a... (full context)

Enraged, Hester insists that Uncle Bo is being unreasonable and that he only wrote the letter to hurt her. She claims... (full context)

...paying for Anna’s journey to England and the clothes she needed for school. She asked Uncle Bo for money, but he only sent five pounds and said he had his own three... (full context)

Hester declares that she’s going write one more time to Uncle Bo and then never contact him again. She’s going to tell him he’s not a gentleman.... (full context)