Character Analysis
Phineas converted to the Quaker faith because he fell in love with a Quaker woman – but he struggles with its non-violent, pacifist principles. In fact, when threatened by Tom Loker, he pushes Tom off the edge of a precipice into a chasm, and he doesn’t even feel guilty. However, after Tom’s friends abandon him, Phineas helps bring Tom to a Quaker farmhouse where he can be nursed back to health. Phineas is a bit rough around the edges but a good man; without him, George and Eliza never would have made it to Canada.