Whitehead's The Underground Railroad
BPPN 1005 5000 is a fictional piece of rail belonging to The Underground Railroad in Colson Whitehead's 2016 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Underground Railroad. The rail, known as the Gopher Line, is part of an elaborate, secret network of actual and metaphorical railroads running through the American South, created to transport African American slaves to freedom. It is both a tangible and symbolic representation of freedom from the atrocities of slavery, giving succor to all who pass by it. As with other parts of the railroad, the Gopher Line is cloaked in secrecy and danger, with bounty hunters and slave catchers always on the lookout for escapees. It serves as a beacon of hope and determination, inspiring courage and strength in those who seek to utilize its path to liberation.