Twelve Years a Slave · Chapter
Chapter XVII explained
Wiley is caught by patrollers and severely whipped, leading him to run away.
What happens
Wiley is caught by patrollers and severely whipped, leading him to run away. The chapter describes the patroller system, the fate of runaways, and includes stories of Augustus being killed by dogs, Nelly's concealment, Celeste's successful evasion, and Lew Cheney's conspiracy of insurrection.
Themes in this chapter
Brutality and Dehumanization
Wiley is whipped by patrollers and again by Epps; Augustus is mauled to death by dogs; Celeste is scourged and put in stocks.
Resilience and Hope
Wiley's escape, Celeste's successful evasion, and the slaves' collective memory of the insurrection plot demonstrate resilience.
Deception and Betrayal
Lew Cheney is described as a traitor who betrays the insurrection plot.
Characters to notice
- Wiley
Husband of Phebe; caught by patrollers, whipped, and runs away.
- Aunt Phebe
Wiley's wife; her counsels are disregarded by Wiley.
- Uncle Abram
His philosophy is disregarded by Wiley.
- Master Epps
Owns Wiley; whips him severely and searches for him after he runs away.
- Augustus
Carey's slave driver; runs away, is caught by dogs, and dies from injuries.
- Celeste
Carey's slave; successfully evades dogs and hides in the palmetto swamp for most of the summer.
Key passages
“Wiley disregards the counsels of Aunt Phebe and Uncle Abram, and is caught by the patrollers”
Wiley ignores the advice of Aunt Phebe and Uncle Abram and is captured by the patrollers.
Opening of the chapter; sets Wiley's story in motion.
“The patrollers whipped him severely, and brought him, a prisoner, to Epps. From him he received another flagellation still more severe”
The patrollers whipped Wiley harshly and took him to Epps, who then whipped him even more severely.
Describes the double punishment Wiley endures.
“Augustus ran away. Reaching a cane rick on Hawkins’ plantation, he secreted himself in the top of it. All Carey’s dogs were put upon his track—some fifteen of them—and soon scented his footsteps to the hiding place.”
Augustus fled and hid in a cane rick, but Carey's fifteen dogs tracked him there.
Augustus's escape attempt and discovery.
“Celeste was one of them. For several nights she came to my cabin for food. On one occasion our dogs barked as she approached, which aroused Epps, and induced him to reconnoitre the premises.”
Celeste was one of those whom dogs would not track; she visited Solomon's cabin for food until Epps was alerted by barking dogs.
Celeste's unique ability to evade dogs and her reliance on Solomon.
“Lew Cheney, with whom I became acquainted—a shrewd, cunning negro, more intelligent than the generality of his race, but unscrupulous and full of treachery—conceived the project of organizing a company sufficiently strong to fight their way against all opposition”
Lew Cheney, a clever but treacherous slave, planned to organize a group strong enough to fight their way to freedom.
Introduction of the insurrection plot and Cheney's role.
