Skip to main content

In Chains, what one thing does Isabel take from Miss Finch's home in Rhode Island?

Isabel takes three things from Miss Finch's home.  She takes her blankets, her shoes, and some flower seeds that her mother had collected.  


Isabel's mother had collected the flower seeds and put them in a jar, but Isabel doesn't know what they will grow into.  


At this point in the story, Mr. Robert is taking Isabel and Ruth to be sold, but he allows the two girls to go back into the house...

Isabel takes three things from Miss Finch's home.  She takes her blankets, her shoes, and some flower seeds that her mother had collected.  


Isabel's mother had collected the flower seeds and put them in a jar, but Isabel doesn't know what they will grow into.  


At this point in the story, Mr. Robert is taking Isabel and Ruth to be sold, but he allows the two girls to go back into the house to collect their blankets and shoes.  He's not doing it to be nice either.  Having shoes and blankets will increase the slave value of Isabel and Ruth, and Mr. Robert is greedy.  Mr. Robert will not allow Isabel to take anything else, so she needs to grab something that is easily transported and easily hidden.  The seeds fill both of those requirements and have the added sentimental value of reminding Isabel of her mother.  



I looked around our small room, searching for a tiny piece of home I could hide in my pocket. 


What to take?


Seeds.


On the hearth stood the jar of flower seeds that Momma had collected, seeds she never had a chance to put into the ground. I didn't know what they'd grow into. I didn't know if they'd grow at all.  It was fanciful notion, but I uncorked the jar, snatched a handful, and buried it deep in my pocket just as the privy door creaked open. 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Can you analyze the poem "Absolution" by Siegfried Sassoon?

Sure! Siegfried Sassoon fought in World War I and was wounded in battle; he spent much of his life speaking out against war, and these pacifist feelings are easy to see in his poems. This one, "Absolution," was published in 1917, the same year that Sassoon was hospitalized for what we know today as post-traumatic stress disorder. "Absolution" is a short poem that contains three stanzas of four lines each. The word "absolution" means "forgiveness," and... Sure! Siegfried Sassoon fought in World War I and was wounded in battle; he spent much of his life speaking out against war, and these pacifist feelings are easy to see in his poems. This one, "Absolution," was published in 1917, the same year that Sassoon was hospitalized for what we know today as post-traumatic stress disorder. "Absolution" is a short poem that contains three stanzas of four lines each. The word "absolution" means "forgiveness," and the v...
Post a Comment
Read more

How and why does James Gatz become Jay Gatsby? Describe the young Gatsby/Gatz.

James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune,... James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune, whereas they arose from well-to-do families. Gatz became Gatsby through determination and discipline. At the end of the novel, the narr...
Post a Comment
Read more

In chapter one of The Great Gatsby, what advice does Nick's father give him? How does this make him a good person to tell this story?

Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches... Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches into a discussion of how pe...
Post a Comment
Read more