# Epigraph explained — Our Nig

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

## What happens

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.

## Themes in this chapter

### Resilience and Survival

The epigraph evokes the endurance of suffering and the struggle to maintain virtue under persecution, foreshadowing the protagonist's resilience.

### Racial Oppression and Prejudice

The imagery of 'Calvaries' and 'guiltless blood' alludes to systemic injustice, which in the novel is tied to racial oppression.

## Key lines

> I know That care has iron crowns for many brows; That Calvaries are everywhere, whereon Virtue is crucified, and nails and spears Draw guiltless blood; that sorrow sits and drinks At sweetest hearts, till all their life is dry; That gentle spirits on the rack of pain Grow faint or fierce, and pray and curse by turns; That hell’s temptations, clad in heavenly guise And armed with might, lie evermore in wait Along life’s path, giving assault to all.

I understand that many people are burdened by suffering; that innocent virtue is constantly persecuted and innocent people are harmed; that grief drains the joy from even the kindest hearts; that gentle souls in agony may either weaken or become angry, alternating between prayer and cursing; and that evil temptations, disguised as something holy and powerful, are always present to attack everyone throughout life.

_This opening epigraph sets a tone of universal suffering and moral trial, framing the novel's exploration of injustice and resilience._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/our_nig_se/chapters/epigraph
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/our_nig_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/our_nig_se/chapters