Chains

The novel’s rising action builds to frenzy in these chapters. As tensions mount in the city, so does the anxiety in the Lockton home. Once Master Lockton is secretly shipped away, the sisters are left in the care of an emotionally unstable Madam. Though he is a cruel man, Master Lockton did advocate for keeping the girls together. Now the girls are left far more vulnerable than before, and Madam’s erratic mood swings create a sense of foreboding. Becky is not particularly sympathetic to the girls, so they have neither allies nor protection in the house. Meanwhile, the city is unraveling. The sweltering heat mirrors the rising tension, and with the British hosts’ arrival in the harbor, the war is now a reality. However, Isabel is focused only on the war raging inside the Lockton home and how she might escape with Ruth; freedom is always foremost in her mind, and the catastrophe surrounding her only increases her focus.

As the narrative progresses, Isabel’s story becomes more intertwined with the historical narrative of 1776. Thomas Hickey was the first soldier in the Continental Army to be executed for treason. Isabel is at least partially responsible for his incrimination in the story, and she attends his public hanging with Ruth; the event draws her the closest yet to the unfolding history. She also is present when the British invasion is announced and fighting begins. She had hoped that her part in saving General Washington’s life would expedite her escape, but instead, she finds herself trapped in a city on the brink of war. The most symbolic historic moment she witnesses is the celebration of the Declaration of Independence on July 9, 1776. The citizens ceremonially tear down the statue of King George III, severing its head and limbs in a symbolic act of rebellion. The punishment for high treason against the crown was to be drawn and quartered, chopped into pieces, burned, and scattered to the four corners of the earth. As the citizens hack the statue beyond recognition, Isabel realizes how serious the people are about their sovereignty over the monarch. She symbolically snatches a small piece to keep representing her struggle for independence over the tyranny of slavery.

The girls attend church twice in these chapters, but the high church ceremonies of the Tory-led Anglican services provide little comfort for Isabel’s soul, as it feels stiff and unemotional to her. She misses the simpler services she attended back home. Historically, religious practices for enslaved persons were nuanced. Many brought their religious beliefs and customs with them across the Atlantic but were forbidden from practicing them in slave holders’ homes. Forced to worship in white churches, they adopted an amalgamation of traditional African religions laced with Protestant practices and beliefs. Most of their deeply rooted customs had to be practiced in secret, hidden from the eyes and whips of the enslavers. When Isabel prayed to her ancestors at the beginning of the narrative, a common religious practice of some of those enslaved in America, the scene carried the novel’s theme of the importance of family. She would even intermittently pray to her mother for help and guidance, not so unlike how others pray to saints. The whole novel continues the theme of family as Isabel fights to protect her sister. Now, in a church not of her choosing, Isabel does pray to God but in her unique way, and the prayer is still inspired by her desire to protect Ruth and secure freedom. She is still uncertain of any divine intervention, but she feels her desperation deepen each day as she and Ruth remain in the Locktons’ captivity.