Chapter 41: Free At Last

Chapter 41

Free At Last

Summary: Linda receives several letters from her grandmother, and is informed that Dr. Flint is dead. Somewhat relieved at the news, Linda realizes that she is still in danger from Dr. Flint's family. Shortly after, Linda happens to cross a newspaper article announcing the arrival of Mr. and Mrs. Dodge. Fearing that her former mistress will find her, Linda goes to Mrs. Bruce, who again helps her escape, sending her baby with her. After hiding for an extended period, Mrs. Bruce finally manages to buy Linda free for $300. Aunt Martha lives long enough to know that Linda has been freed, and dies. Uncle Phillip, then, follows soon after. Free at last, Linda continues to live with Mrs. Bruce and her family and recalls that, despite all the pain she has endured, she has the comforting memories of her grandmother, who helped her survive her harrowing ordeal.

Importance: As the last chapter of the book, Linda finally retrieves her freedom. She got away from Dr. Flint and his family and can now live peacefully.

Connection to Theme: After all the physical and mainly phycological pains she had suffered, Linda has finally gained freedom. Going through all the pain, fear and betrayal, she managed to get away from Dr. Flint and his family.

Chapter 40: The Fugitive Slave Law

Chapter 40

The Fugitive Slave Law

Summary: William decides to move to California, taking Benny with him. Before they leave, they discuss the brutal Fugitive Slave Law, that makes it illegal for northerners to help runaway slaves. Mr. Bruce re-marries an American woman and hires Linda again. Linda confesses to Mrs. Bruce that she's a fugitive slave, making the law danger her freedom. Luckily, the second Mrs. Bruce is just as nice as the first, even though she's an American. Linda also learns that Dr. Flint is once more on her trail. Mrs. Bruce helps her escape to New England and entrusts her with her own baby. Linda seeks refuge in the country, where she remains for a month. When she learns that Dr. Flint has given up his pursuit, she returns to New York.

Importance: In this chapter, we learn about the Fugitive Slave law and how much fear it brings to Linda and other runaways. Linda fears that she will get caught because northerners cannot help her. However, the second Mrs. Bruce is just as kind and helps Linda regain herself and protects her.

Connection To Theme: Because of the Fugitive Slave Law; Linda is very cautious every time she has to run an errand, and fears for her life when she walks outside. Mrs. Bruce helps by sending Linda to live with a senator's wife in New England. This meant that if Linda is caught, they'll have to bring the two back to Mrs. Bruce, who might be able to save her. Linda finally stays for a month until she feels safe enough to return to New York.

Chapter 39: The Confession

Chapter 39

The Confession

Summary: Linda has lived in Boston for two years, and her brother, William, offers to send Ellen to boarding school. Although she does not want to part with her daughter, Linda eventually agrees that this would be best for her daughter. The night before Ellen is scheduled to leave, Linda tells her the truth about her father, Mr. Sands. However, she has known the whole time.

Linda is lonely without her daughter, and gratefully accepts an assignment as a seamstress for a neighboring family. She finds a letter from William, asking her to help him establish an anti-slavery reading room in Rochester. She agrees, but the project doesn't receive broad community support and fails. Linda spends the next year with the family of Isaac and Amy Post, well-known anti-slavery advocates.

Importance: In this chapter, Linda loses a very close part of her, Ellen. We find out before she leaves to boarding school, that Ellen has known the whole time that Mr. Sands is her father. After being left alone, Linda starts to work with more slavery abolishment communities and people.

Connection To Theme: Now that Ellen is going to boarding school, Linda cannot face the fact that Ellen does not know who her real father is. After going through everything she has been through, she finally builds up the courage to tell her. However, to her surprise, Ellen has known the truth all along.

Chapter 38: Renewed Invitations to Go South

Chapter 38

Renewed Invitations to Go South

Summary: Upon returning home to Boston, Linda learns that Ben has left on a voyage to escape the abuse of his fellow apprentices, who have discovered that he is "colored." After finding out the news, Linda feels guilty that she left her children alone for so long, but reminds herself that it was for the best.Soon after her return from England, Linda receives a letter from Mrs. Dodge (formerly Emily Flint). In the letter, Emily comments on Linda's trip to England and invites her to come live with her and her new husband in Norfolk, Virginia. Even though Linda is furious to discover that Dr. Flint and his family are still keeping track of her, she tells herself that as long as she stays in Boston, she is safe.

Importance: We now know in this chapter that the Flint family are still keeping track of Linda and her family. Emily is getting interested in her and tries to trick her into coming back. Linda knows this is a scam and stays in Boston.

Connection To Theme: Just like Dr. Flint, his daughter, Mrs. Dodge, is trying to trick Linda into coming back to the South. Mrs. Dodge formally asks her to come back to the South so she would “live” with her and not be treated as a slave or she can buy herself. Linda, right away, sees this as a trick and finds the letter to be ridiculous. She does not want to spend her hard-earned money on her freedom, but to use it for her children's education and future.

Chapter 37: A Visit to England

Chapter 37

A Visit to England

Summary: This chapter begins by informing the reader that the first Mrs. Bruce dies. Linda is devastated that she had lost a dear friend of hers and gave sympathy to her family. Mr. Bruce asks her to accompany him to England as a nurse for Mary, so Mary can be with her relatives. After 12 days, they arrive in Liverpool and head to London, where, for the first time in her life, Linda is treated with respect and dignity and experiences "pure, unadulterated freedom."During her visit, Linda notices that the English are poor and oppressed, but they're still better off than American slaves. As the house guest of a clergyman and his family, she also gains a new perspective on Christianity and experiences the true meaning of love and grace.

Importance: The importance of this chapter was to show the differences and similarities of the English poor and the African-American slaves. The English poor do not have much in England, but they they definitely have more rights than slaves in America. Slaves are not allowed to have an education and do not have legal protection.

Connection To Theme: During her visit, Linda views the hardships the English poor must go through. However, she compares them to slavery in America. It was led to the conclusion that slavery was MUCH more worse. Slaves must go through many physical and phycological abuses, everyday by their owners.

Chapter 36: The Hairbreadth Escape

Chapter 36:

The Hairbreadth Escape

Summary: In this chapter Linda learns that her whereabouts were revealed to Dr. Flint by Mrs. Hobbs' brother, Mr. Thorpe. She learned that he wrote a letter to Dr. Flint telling him about her location and saying that he would help him to retrieve his "property". Upon hearing this Linda returned home and informed Mrs. Bruce that she was a fugitive slave and of her predicament. Mrs. Bruce, contrary to what Linda initially thought, took no action against her, but actually made arrangements for her, William and Ellen to be transported to Boston. Once there, Ellen was reunited with Ben, her brother and Linda decided to stay there and share living expenses with a good friend of hers. During the winter time she helps to teach Ellen how to read and write so she could return back to school.

Importance: Although Dr. Flint could not find her on his own, the day when he would learn of her whereabouts finally came in this chapter. Linda's connections and associations however helped greatly in securing her escape once again.

Connection to Theme: Even though Linda's distrust of Mrs. Bruce turned out to be for nothing, there was someone else who she should have aimed her distrust towards; Mr. Thorpe. He saw her as not more than Dr. Flint's property. This mindset comes from the constant exposure to discrimination and the place the white people of that time held as being over the blacks.

Chapter 35: Prejudice Against Color

Chapter 35:

Prejudice Against Color

Summary: It was in this chapter that Linda encountered even more instances of racial discrimination. She went on a trip with Mr. and Mrs. Bruce to Albany aboard a steamboat when she was insulted by a black waiter who refused to serve her. During this trip she also met up with Ellen on her way to a grocery store. Another example of discrimination was shown when Linda wrote about her experience at a hotel in Rockaway. In this she was not allowed to sit at the table with all of the other black nurses who were just a shade lighter than she was. She decided to eat her food in her room, but later chooses to not accept their rudeness and earns their respect.

Importance: Linda already knew from previous experiences that the North wasn't the paradise everyone spoke of it to be like and now refused to tolerate such treatment. Her persistent and radical nature showed in thins chapter as she fought to gain respect from those who treated her wrongly.

Connection to Theme: While others who lived in the North were taught to conform to such discrimination, Linda fought against it and wasn't afraid to speak out to express her thoughts on how wrong it was to treat her how they did. This form of psychological abuse on the free blacks helped to keep them from rising to overpower the white people. It kept them in a state of acceptance to the way the world was.

Chapter 34: The Old Enemy Again

Chapter 34:

The Old Enemy Again

Summary: Dr. Flint again tried to persuade Linda to return to the south, but this time disguised his writings to her as if they came from his son. He wrote to her urging her to return "home" and that she would be treated like she always has been treated: "like family". Knowing then that it was a trick, she ignored it and didn't respond, but learned that he was returning to New York in search of her. She informed Mrs. Bruce that she needed to attend to urgent business in Boston and left right away in an effort to avoid him. While there she had her grandmother send Ben to Boston rather than their prearranged New York. She is reunited with him there and after Dr. Flint leaves New York she returns, leaving Ben with William.

Importance: This chapter showcased Dr. Flint's extremely persistent nature. He still never gave up trying to get her back and even tried disguising his writing as his young son's to try to persuade her to return to them. Once he found that that method had failed he decided not to give up again. Although other attempts in the past had failed, he once again returned to New York in search of her, returning home like all of the other hands empty handed.

Connection to Theme: Dr. Flint thought that if he could convince her that the way she was treated was the best form of treatment a slave could receive, she would instantly feel the need to return to them. In his mind deception was the best weapon against slaves as well as psychological abuse. If he could get her to believe that her life wasn't as bad as how it really was he could have control over her, which was his ultimate goal.

Chapter 32: The Meeting of Mother and Daughter

Chapter 32:

The Meeting of Mother and Daughter

Summary: Linda finally reunites with her daughter but, despite what she was promised, she finds out that Ellen has been neglected. Although Mr. Sands promised Linda that her daughter would be well taken care of and even have the opportunity to attend school, none were ever gone through with. Ellen was actually given to Mr. Sands' daughter as her maid instead, which gave her no time to ever go to school. Linda then felt the need to procure her own daughter's safety and freedom, but before she was able to do that, she had to be free herself. So she wrote to Dr. Flint to inquire about her sale.

Importance: Serving as yet another milestone in Linda's life, she finally was able to see her daughter with her own eyes on free soil. While it seemed like a miracle that she was even just able to free her daughter in the south, being able to get her all the way to the north and meet up with her was exponentially greater.

Connection to Theme: This shows how people in the North were affected by the psychological abuses of slavery as well. Even though they would say that slavery in the south was wrong, they did not hesitate to keep them as maids and give them poultry amounts of money as wages. White people still dominated over the blacks.

Chapter 31: Incidents in Philadelphia

Chapter 31:

Incidents in Philadelphia

Summary: This chapter followed Linda as she entered into the free states. She met Rev. Jeremiah Durham and his wife and was to stay with them for five days. During this time she was treated well and did not have to live in discomfort and fear of Dr. Flint coming to find her. After those five days Linda and Fanny left to continue on their way to New York. It was on this journey that Linda encountered her first run-in with discrimination wherein she, as well as any other African American, was not allowed to sit in the first class section of the train.

Importance: It was in this chapter that Linda learns of the cruelties which occurred in the North. In the South African Americans would speak of the North as if it were heaven. They spoke of no wrongs or negative aspects whatsoever, so it often came as a surprise to them that the North was closer in similarity to the north than they had thought. This chapter displayed Linda's realization of this.

Connection to Theme: This shows how similar psychologically the North was to the South. Even though there were no slaves in the North, they still held the same rules as those in the South, only tweaking them slightly as to satisfy the public. For example, after learning about the rule of colored and white sections on the trains, Linda compared this with that of the South by saying that "colored people were allowed to ride in a filthy box, behind white people, at the South, but there they were not required to pay for the privilege". This meant that in the South the rules were the same, but unlike in the North, they didn't ask for money from the African Americans. She concluded this analogy by saying that she was saddened to learn how the North "aped the customs of slavery".