Although she doubts herself through most of the book, Amari gains strength through her awful experiences. Afi sees this strength in Amari already when she is on the “ship of death,” as does Teenie. However, through these incredibly trying times, Amari doubts herself. It is this vague, unreachable strength the other women see that gives Amari the hope to continue as well. She acknowledges this hope right after her capture. As the novel progresses, we see a swelling in Amari’s sense of injustice, to the point that she is almost ready to turn to physical violence against the Derbys. It is in the sense of injustice that we can see Amari’s strength; if her spirit had truly died, she would not have felt rage but would have instead given up, like Besa. She also assumes a leadership role during the escape and takes Tidbit as her own child. It is her fighting and protective instinct that pushes her to seek a better way for herself, and this also demonstrates her strong sense of self.

Polly starts out as Amari’s foil and then becomes nearly a mirror image of her. Her prejudice and her race are the greatest differences between her and Amari, but as Polly spends more time with Amari, she no longer sees Amari as “less” than her.