Chains

In a matter of hours, New York City transforms from a bustling Revolutionary colony to a British military fortress. Still addled by a concussion and grief over Ruth, Isabel settles into a life of servitude, though she cares not about the quality of her work. While much of the novel thus far has featured Isabel’s psychological hardships, these chapters also emphasize physical suffering as Isabel experiences the persisting symptoms of her concussion. Though she has endured emotional trauma and even physical abuse, she only now experiences a long-term and even disabling physical injury (which nevertheless has psychological effects). Now with her concussion, she feels disempowered at every turn.

It is smoke from the housefire that triggers these symptoms—and the housefire, though it may seem just one more calamity for Isabel, symbolizes her entire experience with slavery thus far. She is surrounded by flames just as she has been surrounded by the hostility and predation of a disproportionately powerful white society; though she is a vulnerable a child, she is made to protect an adult, just as the vulnerable enslaved are made to care for their powerful enslavers; in the midst of the fire, she carries the tremendous burden of Lady Seymour’s household belongings, just as she has had to take up all the chores in every estate she’s inhabited; and she loses the beloved doll, one of her only possessions and, more importantly, a personal connection to Ruth—just as she’s had her family torn from her.

Additionally, the fire drives her back to the Locktons’ home, one of the only buildings left standing. It appears she is fated to be chained to the Locktons for eternity. Both family and freedom seem farther away than ever.

Though she acts bravely to rescue Lady Seymour and herself from the flames, the trauma triggers her concussion symptoms to flare and her depression to deepen. Isabel’s concussion is a physical injury, but it has many psychological effects, and her mental health deterioration becomes central to the narrative in these chapters. Historically, the physical health of enslaved persons was jeopardized as they were often underfed and overworked. However, their mental health most certainly suffered as well. Chronic trauma—loss of loved ones, living in a constant state of fear, and incessant verbal abuse—would profoundly affect one’s welfare and self-esteem. Likewise, in addition to headaches, a traumatic brain injury can cause impaired concentration and severe depression. Without treatment and rest, Isabel suffers long-lasting side effects from her injury. She struggles to understand why she cannot think straight and blames herself for the lack of clarity and energy to perform her daily duties. Her situation is already dire, and this injury only adds to her physical and emotional agony.

She finds the seeds she has planted have sprouted and died. Not yet ready to give up on the hope of new growth, she stashes the seed pods away with her only other possession, a chunk of King George’s ruined statue. The seed pods represent family, while the statue fragment—because it is tied to American independence—represents freedom. These two items, taken together, symbolize the only shreds of hope Isabel retains. The sight of Curzon back in the city might prove fortuitous, except he is now a prisoner of war to the British army, in chains once again.