Character Analysis
Jonah is appointed by the court to be the lawyer arguing against the White Raiders in the trial. He's patient, level-headed, and whip-smart; as Ben tells us:
"I decided that Jonah Curtis was not only a smart man but a wise one. Jonah clearly had intelligence to spare, tempered with humor and a bit of easygoing cynicism." (95.11)
To be clear, Jonah is Black—so again, we find ourselves with a wise Black character. To really dig into this, though, swing by Abraham's page in this section.
In many ways, Jonah is the perfect lawyer. He has the skills to back up his fancy degrees, and he clearly knows how to win a case. And yet he loses, all because of his skin color. The system is so unfair that even a great lawyer with mad skills can't do anything to win in Eudora because of his skin color. This makes it clear that it isn't just some Black people who are held down, but all.