Libertie

Libertie is a young, 19th-century African American girl who struggles to overcome the burdens society and her loved ones place upon her. Her mother wants her to become a doctor, her husband wants her to be a wife, and society expects her to remain sidelined because of her race, gender, and the darkness of her skin. As a result of these expectations, Libertie struggles to form her own identity, torn between trying to please everyone and staying true to herself. Her name is thus ironic, at least initially; she lacks the freedom to make her own decisions and discover what she really wants. Only when she throws off the shackles of social expectations is Libertie able to achieve any kind of agency or happiness.

As an only child with a deceased father, Libertie grows up feeling lonely. However, she is also intelligent, passionate, and creative, with a fondness for music and poetry and a vivid inner world (as her fascination with the woman beneath the water demonstrates). She feels her connections to others deeply, struggling to move beyond Ben’s death and to accept that she will always be an outsider in Louisa and Experience’s relationship.