I think that Linda’s whole life was about sacrifice. She sacrificed her freedom in order to escape safely; she sacrificed her innocence to become pregnant and regain her identity; and she sacrificed time with her child in order that her daughter have a better life in a better school. I believe that it all culminated to this point. She was free now, and her daughter had the options that she did not. This is so beautiful to me. When her daughter went to boarding school, I was excited and sad at the same time. I was sad because her daughter was not with her and she was alone, but I was excited because her daughter would be given a better life with a better future. And when her expenses were lessened because of her mother’s status, I felt like everything had come full circle. Instead of running because of her status, Linda was able to be proud that her daughter was going to have a great education, and she was going to pay less because Linda was brave and would not stand to just be a slave. This was one of the most beautiful parts of the book to me because I felt that, finally, Linda could be proud of herself and her family, and she could use her past to create a better future for those just like her.
This is a great point, Bethany. I also think it would be safe to say that the entire life of a slave was about sacrifice, no matter the size of the issue being sacrificed. This recurring theme in slavery portrays the amount of love and intimacy between slaves and their families. Not only were slaves concerned about their own well-being, but also about the well-being of their children and other relatives. Family was the only thing a slave had that couldn't necessarily be taken away from them except through death. But they were determined to hold onto that as long as they could, so they were willing to make the sacrifices necessary to do so.
ReplyDeleteI think that there are many more aspects that can describe the "slave life" in addition to sacrifice.
ReplyDeletePerseverance: Slaves rarely gave up hope that they would one day be reunited with their families
Hope: This is what kept them going day after day, hope for a better future
Love: We see their deep love for one another and their families. They would "take care of their own" even if they weren't related by blood
Grace: I see this in how women would take care of white children as nannies. They could have treated the children as harshly as they were treated by their masters, but didn't
Forgiveness: They were willing to offer forgiveness when someone would express regret or remorse. I particularly mean that Linda did not hate all white people just because some treated her wrongly
All of these stem from a trust in a God that never forsakes His children.