Poetry · Chapter
Aunt Chloe explained
Aunt Chloe recounts the traumatic day her children were sold away, her initial despair, and her eventual turn to faith and hope through the counsel of Uncle Jacob.
What happens
Aunt Chloe recounts the traumatic day her children were sold away, her initial despair, and her eventual turn to faith and hope through the counsel of Uncle Jacob.
Themes in this chapter
Motherhood and Family
Aunt Chloe's maternal grief over the sale of her children is the emotional core of the chapter.
Hope and Redemption
Through prayer and faith, Chloe finds hope that she will see her boys again.
Characters to notice
- Aunt Chloe
The narrator and grieving mother whose children are sold away.
- Milly Green
Cousin who comforts Chloe and shares her own experience of losing a child.
- Jakey
One of Chloe's sons, who bids her goodbye.
- Uncle Jacob
A saintly figure who counsels Chloe to bring her burden to the Saviour.
- Mistus
The mistress of the house, also crying over the sale.
Key passages
“When they whispered to me, 'Chloe, Your children's sold away!' It seemed as if a bullet Had shot me through and through, And I felt as if my heart-strings Was breaking right in two.”
When I was told my children were sold, it felt like a bullet shot through me, breaking my heart in two.
Chloe describes the devastating news of her children's sale.
“His words waked up my courage, And I began to pray, And I felt my heavy burden Rolling like a stone away.”
His words gave me courage; I prayed and felt my heavy burden lift away like a rolling stone.
Uncle Jacob's counsel leads Chloe to prayer and relief.