Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl · Chapter
XXXVIII: Renewed Invitations to Go South explained
Linda returns to the North after a winter passage, reunites with Ellen in Boston, but learns that Benny has run away to sea after being abused by fellow apprentices who discovered he was colored.
What happens
Linda returns to the North after a winter passage, reunites with Ellen in Boston, but learns that Benny has run away to sea after being abused by fellow apprentices who discovered he was colored. She receives a letter from Miss Emily Flint (now Mrs. Dodge) inviting her to come South, which she recognizes as a trap. Linda resolves to use her earnings for her children's education and home, refusing to pay for her own freedom, and reflects on her trust in Massachusetts despite the looming Fugitive Slave Law.
Themes in this chapter
Northern Complicity and Abolitionism
Linda places her trust in Massachusetts as a free state, but acknowledges that the state's reputation for freedom may be undeserved, highlighting the tension between Northern ideals and reality.
Dehumanization and Identity
Benny's transformation in the eyes of his fellow apprentices upon discovery of his race illustrates how racial identity is used to dehumanize and exclude.
Characters to notice
- Linda Brent
Returns to Boston, finds Ellen well but Benny gone; receives a deceptive letter from Miss Emily Flint; resolves to resist Southern entrapment and prioritize her children's future.
- Ellen
Found well and improving at her school in Boston.
- Benjamin
Left to learn a trade, but after being discovered as colored and abused by apprentices, he runs away and ships on a whaling voyage.
- Miss Emily Flint
Now Mrs. Dodge, she writes a letter to Linda pretending friendship and offering a position in Virginia, which Linda sees as a trap.
- Dr. Flint
Referenced as the old master whose family is aware of Linda's movements and continues to pursue her.
Key passages
“It is a sad feeling to be afraid of one's native country.”
Linda expresses the sorrow of fearing the land of her birth.
Reflects the emotional conflict of being a fugitive in one's own homeland.
“I felt insulted to be thought stupid enough to be caught by such professions.”
Linda is offended that Miss Emily Flint would think she could be tricked by false kindness.
Shows Linda's shrewdness and refusal to be deceived by Southern overtures.
“I could not possibly regard myself as a piece of property.”
Linda cannot accept the idea that she is owned like an object.
Highlights her resistance to the dehumanization of slavery.