The uncalled

In Short

Set in the small town of Dexter, Ohio, The Uncalled follows the youth of Frederick Brent, an orphan raised by a stern, unbending woman and her kindly husband. Pushed relentlessly by his guardian and the local church elders into a religious career he never chose, Fred struggles against the suffocating expectations of a community that mistakes narrow dogma for genuine faith. After reluctantly taking a small-town pulpit, he faces bitter hypocrisy, eventually breaks free to seek his own path in Cincinnati, and learns to define love, morality, and spiritual truth on his own human terms.

The Story

The novel opens in the bleak, dreary dawn of a winter morning in Dexter, Ohio, where a poor woman named Margaret Brent lies dead in a dilapidated house. Her five-year-old son, Fred, is left entirely alone. While gossiping neighbors rifle through the dead woman's meager belongings, Miss Hester Prime, an unbending woman driven by a severe sense of moral duty, takes the orphan into her home. Though Miss Hester lacks any natural maternal instinct, she resolves to raise the boy properly. Her husband, the gentle and easygoing Eliphalet Hodges, tries to temper her strictness with small kindnesses, toys, and simple affection, but Miss Hester remains determined to shape Fred into a pious, dutiful minister.

As Fred grows, he finds himself trapped between his own lively impulses and the rigid expectations imposed on him. When he defends himself against a local bully, or plays a game of baseball, he is met with fierce condemnation from Miss Hester and the local preacher, Mr. Simpson. They view every normal childhood pleasure as a step toward damnation. Even Elizabeth, the preacher's daughter whom Fred grows to care for, embraces this passive submission, urging him to obey his elders without question rather than think for himself.

Coerced into attending seminary and eventually ordained, Fred returns to Dexter to preach at Cory Chapel. However, the townspeople view him with suspicion, eager to judge the son of a disgraced mother. His home performance is overshadowed by harsh scrutiny and local gossip. Tensions reach a breaking point when Fred defends a vulnerable woman in the community, earning the wrath of Mr. Simpson. The elder minister orchestrates a campaign to remove Fred from the pulpit, while Elizabeth quickly turns against him, believing the rumors. Realizing he cannot breathe in an atmosphere of forced piety and narrow judgment, Fred resigns and leaves Dexter behind.

Taking a train to Cincinnati, Fred encounters a broader, more complex world. By chance, he runs into his long-lost, broken-down father, who is trying to make amends by distributing temperance tracts after a life ruined by drink. This encounter releases Fred from his lingering bitterness. In the city, he also meets Alice, a warm and sensible young woman who encourages him to embrace genuine happiness and drop his defensive pride. Rebuilding his spiritual life away from cant and rigid dogma, Fred writes back to Uncle Eliphalet and Aunt Hester, fully transformed—no longer a forced preacher, but a man who has found real integrity, love, and peace.

How It Unfolds

A grim beginning Five-year-old Fred Brent is left an orphan in a dreary Ohio town following the death of his impoverished mother. Miss Hester Prime takes him in, treating his upbringing as an onerous moral duty rather than an act of warmth.

A clash of temperaments While Miss Hester tries to curb Fred's spirit with stern rules and religious books, her husband Eliphalet secretly buys the boy toys and candy. Fred learns early that the adults around him equate human joy with sinfulness.

Rebellion in the yard After being forced to apologize to a neighborhood bully, Fred fights back the next day to reclaim his dignity. His fiery spirit conflicts constantly with his guardian's desire to mould him into a submissive, pious child.

Rescuing Elizabeth During a town picnic, Fred saves Elizabeth, the minister's daughter, from drowning in a river. He flees the admiring crowd in confusion, embarrassed by the sudden emotion and the unspoken pressure of his growing feelings for her.

The forced calling Despite his deep inner doubts and desire for a normal life, Fred is pushed by Miss Hester and the church leadership toward the ministry. His efforts to play baseball or enjoy simple pastimes are met with intense spiritual guilt.

A hostile homecoming After finishing his studies, Fred preaches before his home congregation, where the townspeople evaluate him with heavy skepticism. His attempts to exercise independent judgment lead to a bitter clash with the vindictive Rev. Mr. Simpson.

Flight to the city Facing an orchestrated church trial and the betrayal of Elizabeth, Fred resigns his pastorate and takes a train to Cincinnati. In the bustling city, he unexpectedly encounters his father and discovers a world outside narrow small-town dogmatism.

A new foundation With the support of Alice, a sensible companion who helps him let go of his past bitterness, Fred writes home to his guardians. He embraces a honest, compassionate version of faith and living on his own terms.

The People

• Frederick "Fred" Brent: The central figure of the novel, introduced as an orphaned five-year-old boy who grows into a sensitive young man. Trapped by the expectations of his community, he desires freedom and authenticity, eventually escaping forced clerical life to find genuine self-worth in Cincinnati.
• Miss Hester Prime (later Mrs. Hodges): Fred's guardian, a stern, sallow-faced woman driven by a rigid sense of duty rather than love. She views raising Fred for the ministry as a severe moral obligation, constantly checking his innocent desires with harsh discipline.
• Eliphalet Hodges: Miss Hester's husband, a warm-hearted, gentle man who provides Fred with the only true affection of his childhood. He defends Fred's right to be a normal boy and remains his most loyal friend throughout his struggles.
• Rev. Mr. Simpson: The domineering former pastor of Cory Chapel and Elizabeth's father. He uses his authority to enforce strict conformity, turning maliciously against Fred when the young man refuses to yield to his control.
• Elizabeth Simpson: The preacher's daughter and Fred's early love interest. Trained to submit blindly to authority, she lacks the courage to stand by Fred when rumors arise, choosing rigid propriety over trust.
• Alice: A warm, sensible woman Fred meets after leaving Dexter, whose understanding nature helps him shed his defensive pride and embrace true happiness.

In Its Own Voice

"Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." The book was good while it lasted. It entertained the child and gave him valuable moral lessons. Miss Hester Prime relies on the Bible Looking-Glass to keep young Fred occupied without having to learn how to play with him.

"Why do we always have to be killing our wishes on account of duty? I don't believe it. I hate duty. I hate obedience. I hate everything, and I won't obey--" Pushed to his limit by the relentless demands of his guardian, Fred bursts out in a rare moment of furious, unfiltered despair.

"I have come face to face with Christianity without cant, and I respect it for what it is. Alice understands me and brings out the best that is in me." Writing back to his old home from the city, Fred reflects on how stepping away from small-town hypocrisy has finally allowed him to find a healthy faith.

What It's Really About

Beneath its small-town narrative, The Uncalled is a trenchant critique of religious hypocrisy and spiritual coercion. The novel explores the destructive consequences of imposing a moral "calling" upon a person who has not chosen it for himself. It contrasts a cold, duty-bound piety—represented by Miss Hester and Rev. Mr. Simpson—with the quiet, genuine grace embodied by Eliphalet Hodges. Dunbar asks whether true virtue can ever grow out of forced obedience, arguing that forced religious devotion starves the human heart. The story advocates for a compassionate faith grounded in personal freedom, emotional honesty, and authentic human connection, insisting that one must live truthfully as a human being before one can serve any higher spiritual purpose.

Why Read It Today

Paul Laurence Dunbar is celebrated primarily for his groundbreaking poetry, but The Uncalled reveals his significant talent as a novelist. Readers interested in late nineteenth-century American realism, regional portraiture, and themes of religious rebellion will find this book a deeply engaging, thought-provoking study. Dunbar writes with quiet precision and exceptional warmth, capturing the cadence of small-town Ohio dialogue without over-sentimentalizing his characters.

The novel moves at a measured, deliberate pace, taking time to establish the claustrophobic atmosphere of Dexter. Readers accustomed to modern, fast-moving plotting should prepare for an understated narrative focused heavily on character psychology and social atmosphere. The dialogue occasionally features localized dialect—such as Miss Hester's and Eliphalet's colloquial phrasing—which reflects the authentic vernacular of the era. Rather than feeling dated, however, these stylistic elements give the story its grounding and texture. The Uncalled remains a remarkably modern exploration of breaking free from suffocating institutional traditions to cultivate an honest soul.