# New Destination for the Children explained — Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl

> Chapter companion for Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Linda Brent.

## What happens

Linda faces the painful decision to send her daughter Ellen away to Brooklyn with Mr. Sands's relatives, hoping for her freedom and education, while grappling with the constant threat of slavery and the broken promises of those in power.

## Themes in this chapter

### Motherhood and Family Separation

Linda's agonizing decision to send Ellen away highlights the cruel separations forced upon enslaved families.

### The Illusion of Kind Masters

Mr. Sands's promises of freedom prove unreliable, as legal and social systems still threaten the children's liberty.

### Dehumanization and Identity

Ellen is treated as property to be given away, and Linda's identity as a mother is undermined by her enslaved status.

## Character check-ins

### Linda Brent

Desperately seeks to secure her children's freedom, negotiates with Mr. Sands, and shares a poignant farewell with Ellen.

### Ellen

Sent to Brooklyn as a waiting maid; expresses confusion and longing for her mother during their secret meeting.

### Benjamin

Believes himself free but remains vulnerable to being reclaimed as property; Mrs. Sands wishes to take him.

### Mr. Sands

Acknowledges his children but fails to fully protect them; proposes sending Ellen north while claiming they are free.

### Grandmother

Acts as intermediary between Linda and Mr. Sands, negotiating the children's fate and facilitating the secret meeting.

### Dr. Flint

Continues to assert power over Linda's children, claiming they are still his daughter's property and threatening their freedom.

## Key lines

> I had no trust in thee, O Slavery! Never should I know peace till my children were emancipated with all due formalities of law.

Linda declares that she can never feel secure until her children are legally freed, as slavery offers no real protection.

_Expresses Linda's deep distrust of the slave system and her yearning for legal emancipation._

> What will not a mother do for her children?

Linda reflects on the lengths she is willing to go to protect her children, even risking her own safety.

_Highlights the theme of maternal sacrifice and desperation._

> I put my arms round her, and said, 'Ellen, my dear child, I am your mother.' She drew back a little, and looked at me; then, with sweet confidence, she laid her cheek against mine, and I folded her to the heart that had been so long desolated.

In a secret meeting, Linda reveals herself to Ellen, who initially hesitates but then embraces her mother with trust.

_A poignant reunion that underscores the emotional toll of family separation._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/incidents_in_the_life_of_a_slave_girl_se/chapters/xxvii-new-destination-for-the-children
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/incidents_in_the_life_of_a_slave_girl_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/incidents_in_the_life_of_a_slave_girl_se/chapters