# Our Nig — Chapters explained

> Chapter companions for Our Nig by Harriet E. Wilson.

- [Epigraph](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/our_nig_se/chapters/epigraph.md): The epigraph presents a poetic meditation on universal suffering, injustice, and moral struggle, suggesting that virtue is often persecuted and that sorrow and temptation are inescapable parts of human existence.
- [Our Nig](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/our_nig_se/chapters/our-nig.md): The opening of the narrative introduces Mag Smith, a white woman abandoned and degraded, who gives birth to a mixed-race daughter, Frado. After Mag's marriage to a Black man and his death, Frado is left at the Bellmont h
- [Mag Smith, My Mother](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/our_nig_se/chapters/i-mag-smith-my-mother.md): The chapter introduces Mag Smith, a lonely and fallen woman who, after being seduced and abandoned, loses her child and retreats to a hovel in Singleton. She lives in poverty and isolation, scorned by the community. Jim,
- [II: My Father’s Death](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/our_nig_se/chapters/ii-my-father-s-death.md): This chapter recounts the death of Jim, Mag's husband and Frado's father, and Mag's subsequent descent into poverty and desperation. After Jim's death, Mag returns to her hovel and eventually enters a relationship with S
- [III: A New Home for Me](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/our_nig_se/chapters/iii-a-new-home-for-me.md): Frado is left at the Bellmont household after her mother Mag disappears. The family debates whether to keep her, with Mr. Bellmont, Jack, and Jane advocating for her, while Mrs. Bellmont and Mary object. Frado is given m
- [IV: A Friend for Nig](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/our_nig_se/chapters/iv-a-friend-for-nig.md): James returns home and becomes a friend and defender of Frado. After a brutal beating by Mrs. Bellmont, Frado runs away and hides. James and Jack search for her, eventually finding her with the help of the dog Fido. Jame
- [Departures](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/our_nig_se/chapters/v-departures.md): James visits and departs, leaving Frado with only memories of his kindness. Frado continues her grueling labor and mischievous antics, including a trick on a willful sheep. Jane becomes entangled in a romantic conflict b
- [Varieties](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/our_nig_se/chapters/vi-varieties.md): Frado endures harsh treatment from Mary and Mrs. Bellmont, finding solace in her dog Fido and the kindness of Aunt Abby and James. James returns ill and insists Frado eat at the family table, sparking conflict. Jack's vi
- [VII: Spiritual Condition of Nig](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/our_nig_se/chapters/vii-spiritual-condition-of-nig.md): James's health continues to decline, and he becomes confined to his room. Despite his suffering, he protects Frado from beatings and gives her religious instruction. In conversations with Aunt Abby, James reveals his des
- [Visitor and Departure](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/our_nig_se/chapters/viii-visitor-and-departure.md): Frado experiences a spiritual crisis, reading the Bible and attending meetings, while Mrs. Bellmont opposes her religious awakening. James, ill and dying, defends Frado and intervenes after a brutal beating, insisting sh
- [IX: Death](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/our_nig_se/chapters/ix-death.md): James's health declines and he dies, leaving Frado grief-stricken. She struggles with spiritual anxiety, seeking salvation and comfort from Aunt Abby while facing Mrs. Bellmont's cruelty. Frado attends James's burial in 
- [X: Perplexities.—Another Death](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/our_nig_se/chapters/x-perplexities-another-death.md): After James's death, the family returns to their routines. Mr. Bellmont, grieving and seeking righteousness, allows Frado to attend meeting again, but Mrs. Bellmont forbids further religious activity and threatens Frado.
- [Marriage Again](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/our_nig_se/chapters/xi-marriage-again.md): Frado, now a young woman, completes her servitude with the Bellmonts and leaves to work for others, struggling with poor health and loneliness. Jack returns with a wife, Jenny, whom Mrs. Bellmont torments, leading to con
- [XII: The Winding Up of the Matter](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/our_nig_se/chapters/xii-the-winding-up-of-the-matter.md): Frado marries Samuel, a man claiming to be a fugitive slave, but he later deserts her and is revealed to be a fraud. She gives birth to a child, struggles as a single mother, and eventually finds a means of self-support 
- [Appendix](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/our_nig_se/chapters/appendix.md): The appendix includes testimonies from friends of the author, detailing her life after leaving the Bellmonts, her marriage to a fugitive slave, his desertion, her subsequent poverty, and her struggle to raise her son. It

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