Chapter Summary

After spending a year in a place Ness calls Hell, she is forced to move and work at the Thomas Allan Stockham’s Alabama plantation for three months, where she picks cotton. Ness does not recall her own age but assumes she’s twenty-five. She does, however, recall the year that she was taken away from her mother, Esi.

She remembers the horrible stories Esi used to tell her about events such as the Big Boat. Ness says that she used to fall asleep to the images of people being thrown into the Atlantic Ocean from the Big Boat. Inside the Big Boat, as her mother used to tell her, people were stacked on top of each other.

In 1796, when Ness is sold, she recalls that her mother’s expression does not change, nor does she fight to take her daughter back. Despite this, Ness still considers her mother a powerful figure in the sense that she expressed love through the hardness of her spirit: "[Ness] would always associate real love with a hardness of spirit" (77).

Ness considers Thomas Allan Stockham a “good master, if such a thing existed,” because he provides his slaves with five-minute breaks every three hours and a full mason jar’s worth of water (p.77). In the heat of June, Ness waits for water next to another slave, TimTam, who Thomas Allan receivedas a gift from his neighbors, the Whitmans. Ness does not seem to get used to hearing English spoken by other black people like TimTam. Her mother Esi had spoken to her in Twi, although this caused her to receive five lashes for every Twi word she spoke. A woman tells Ness to treat TimTam more kindly as he has lost his woman, to which Ness replies that they have all lost a loved one. 

Ness recalls the day Tom Allan brought her to his plantation since he stated that she is too pretty to be a field slave because of her lighter skin. Ness was introduced to Tom Allan’s wife, Susan, in the costume of the house slaves, revealing both her naked body and scars. The sight of these scars makes Susan faint. 

Later, Ness recalls living in the women’s cabins, where others were jealous of her because TimTam desired her. TimTam’s daughter, Pinky, became mute ever since her mother’s death. Later on, Pinky grows close to Ness, creating a mother-child bond between the two. Tom Jr., Tom Allan’s son, tries to hurt Pinky in an attempt to make her speak. Pinky's hiccups worsen as Tom Jr. lifts his cane. At that moment, Ness grabs Tom Jr.'s cane strongly that he ends up falling. Tom Allan intervenes and looks at his son on the ground. He also stares at Ness' scars and assumes that she deservingly received those scars because of her past actions. He then promises Ness to punish her.

While Ness drifts to sleep, she recalls the memories of the place she calls Hell where she was married to Sam, “the most beautiful man she has ever seen” (p. 86). Sam refuses to learn English, but he uses English for the first time to apologize to Ness for the punishment she had received on his behalf from Hell’s master, the Devil. She gives birth to Sam’s child, Kojo, “during a strange southern winter” (p.88). Sam, Ness, and Kojo planned to escape Hell, but the Devil catches Sam and Ness and believes that Ness had killed Kojo. She is beaten until her body is covered with scars. While Ness waits for Tom Allen’s punishment, she can’t help but recall Sam’s head swaying as he got lynched.

Character Analysis

Ness

Ness’s name comes from “Oh my goodness.” Her mother used to talk to her in Twi, but when the master caught them doing this, he would whip them. In a moment of utter pain, Esi screams, “Oh my goddess,” which is where the name comes from. She was the Daughter of Esi and her whole life was spent on a plantation. She had a strong love towards her Mother Esi since they had a strong bond together. Later on, she is married to Sam (who was a slave) and had her son, Kojo. She was determined to escape this “hell” with the people she truly loved and made a plan to escape on the Underground Railroad. Sadly, her plan of escaping failed. The slavers catch her and Sam, and kill him for the attempted escape. This is also why she receives her scars. Her son Kojo is able to escape, though, with another slave named Ma Aku.  After her husband dies, she is sold and spends the rest of her life on Thomas Allan Stockham’s plantation. 

TimTam

He is also a slave on Thomas Allan Stockham’s plantation. He is also Pinky’s father. He tries to befriend Ness, but she keeps ignoring his attempts. Regardless, he speaks up about her the house slave does not fill her water cup all the way. This action shows how TimTam is caring. TimTam lost his wife, and his daughter Pinky refuses to speak as a result. 

Pinky 

Pinky is TimTam’s daughter. She grows attached to Ness because Ness seems to understand why she does not speak. Ness displays a kind of motherly love by protecting Pinky when Tom Jr. tries to attack her with a cane. She knew the consequences, but still decided to protect her. When Pinky saw Ness crying in her sleep, she cried out her name for the first time. Pinky had a very special bond with Ness.

Thomas Allan

Thomas Allan was the master at his plantation. He bought many slaves and was described as treating them well because he gave them breaks for water and food. He bought Ness because he felt that she was too pretty to work out in the field. When Thomas and his wife see the scars on her back, they are shocked and relegate her to the field, where the clothes are less revealing. After the incident with his son, he threatens to punish Ness, but he does not do so in the course of the chapter. Ness keeps picking cotton as she awaits her punishment.

Margaret

Margaret was the head house slaves at the plantation. She seems to be jealous of Ness and so gives Ness a quarter glass of water instead of a full cup. She is annoyed when TimTam speaks up for Ness. When she observes the incident with Pinky and Tom Jr. she runs to get Thomas for him to see what was going on. 

Sam

Sam is Ness’s husband and their son is Kojo. He appears as a flashback in the narrative as he dies after the escape he plans with Ness. Ness describes the plantation she first worked at with him as “Hell”. Sam does not speak any English, and he was whipped for not wanting to learn it. He was strong and muscular who attacks other slaves and gets whipped in front of everyone. In addition, he destroys the slave quarters and Ness gets whipped by “the Devil” for it because she took the blame for the destruction. Sam is so emotionally attached to Ness that he cries and gets medicine for her back. He apologizes in English to her. They decided to get married after the wounds on their backs heal. He changed himself for the better for his wife and son. He became a good working man and stayed out of trouble. He and Ness eventually escape Hell, but they are caught by the Devil who punishes them for it. He kills Sam by hanging him from a tree in front of Ness.

Kojo

Kojo is Ness and Sam’s son. Ness leaves him with safely with Ma Aku when they are caught, and so he safely escapes. 

The Devil

The Devil was the master Ness was working for before getting sold to Tom Allan. He made her life so miserable that she calls him the Devil and where she was held, Hell. He whipped her for trying to protect Sam even though he knew she was lying. After their escape, he finds them and returns them to Hell, torturing them in front of each other. He made Ness suffer by watching the person she loves the most die, and she could not do anything about it.

Ma Aku

Ma Aku was a woman who helped Ness and Sam escape Hell. They meet her at church after she overhears Ness singing in Twi. She whispers something in Twi to Ness, who does not understand. Nevertheless, Ma Aku introduces herself and says that she too came from Asanteland and was kept in a Castle, just like Esi. She tells Ness that she helped take many people north to escape slavery. This is where their escape plan begins. After Ness and Sam are captured by the Devil, she raises Kojo as her own. 

Major Themes and Symbols

Love

Love is a prominent theme in this chapter. It is explored here from different facets: familial and romantic. For instance, Ness considers her mother, Esi, to be an affectionate figure since she associates "real love with a hardness of spirit" (77). Ness also makes numerous sacrifices to protect her loved ones, including Sam, Kojo, and Pinky. The Devil punishes Ness rather than Sam because she sacrifices herself for him, despite the fact that Sam and Ness' relationship is forced at first. Moreover, the Devil lynches Sam as a consequence of his plan to flee with his family to provide a better future for his son, Kojo, and wife, Ness. Furthermore, Pinky grows fond of Ness because she does not pressure her to speak as others do. As a result of that familial bond, Ness protects and treats Pinky as if she were her own daughter, even shielding her from the owner's son, Tom Jr. These instances of love are significant to the novel on a larger scale as they further humanize the characters and showcase the extent of their love regardless of their brutal experiences.

 Language

The theme of language is apparent in the chapter on Ness. For one, Ness does not feel comfortable hearing black people speak in the English language. One of the reasons is that her mother spoke to her in Twi. However, her mother received five lashes for every word she spoke in Twi. Ness' relationship with language is complex in the sense that she considers English the language of the slavers and Twi her mother tongue, but she cannot speak it. Though Ness tries to practice her Twi after years of separation from her mother, she does not speak it fluently. The less fluent Ness becomes in Twi, the further away she seems to be from her mother. This relates to the novel from a broader perspective as language is powerful in the sense that represents both the separation and connection of characters in the context of the slave trade.

 Objectification of Humans

The chapter on Ness represents the theme of the objectification of humans through the dehumanization of slaves. For instance, the text refers to TimTam as the best "gift" for Tom Allan's family, which objectifies TimTam. . Moreover, someone as young as Tom Allan's son, Tom Jr., attempts to punish an adult like Ness with a cane because of the slave trade's hierarchical system that dehumanizes and objectifies slaves like Ness. Furthermore, in Hell, the Devil objectifies the bodies of slaves by assigning them marriage partners "for reasons of insurance" (87). Therefore, this connects to the novel as it showcases the theme of the objectification of humans through the constant dehumanization of slaves such as Ness, Sam, and TimTam.

The Sun

Twi

Twi symbolizes the powerful bond between family members such as the relationship between Ness and her mother, Esi. Moreover, Twi is what enables Ness to get her son, Kojo, away from Hell. Therefore, Twi is significant because it shows the power of language in creating and taking away community.

 Scars

The major motif of scars is apparent throughout the chapter. The bodily scars that Ness receives signifies the mental and physical trauma of slavery. Ness considers the scars on her body a physical reminder of her past in Hell. This motif, as discussed in the chapter on Quey, echoes the tradition of tribal marks mentioned in the last chapter, placed on the skin during childhood for the purpose of identifying members of a specific tribe or family (Irving 7).

Key Quotations

Ness’ mother, called Frownie by the other slaves because she never smiled, used to tell the story of how she’d been cursed by a Little Dove long, long ago, cursed and sisterless, she would mutter as she swept, left without her mother’s stone. (70)

In this quotation, we learn about the stories Esi tells Ness as she was growing up. While she does not tell Ness the whole story, it references her downfall. Little Dove is the name Esi’s family had given the servant girl in the house. By contacting Little Dove’s father, who was the Big Man of another village, Esi feels responsible for inviting downfall upon her own. In the chaos of the presumed invasion, Esi is taken captive and then taken to the Castle. These events are what bring Esi to America. While Ness does not learn this story in its entirety, the reference shows that Esi holds a great amount of consideration for the Little Dove. She believes that Little Dove cursed her and that it is what caused her life to be ruined. Furthermore, in her stories, she sorrows about being sisterless. Even though this aspect is not referenced again, it expresses that Esi remembers learning about her sister, and that she feels affected by it. Lastly, in her mutterings, Esi references the stone that her mother gave her. In contrast to the relationship Effia had to her mother, Esi was much closer to hers. The stone was a reminder of home and a connection to Esi’s mother. If Esi mutters about the stone, it means that she mourns the loss of her connection to her home and family. Even if Ness does not understand the significance of Esi’s stories, the readers know that Little Dove and the stone are significant to the story and to the events of Esi’s life.

And though Ness had met warm slaves on other plantations, black people who smiled and hugged and told nice stories, she would always miss the gray rock of her mother’s heart. She would always associate real love with a hardness of spirit. (71)

As Ness grows up, she experiences the warm personalities of other slaves on the plantations. However, she believes that her mother’s resilience is a far greater signifier of love than any warmth. This defines the qualities Ness admires and embodies in her life as well. She observes Esi’s love through the pain Esi endures. This foreshadows the ending of the chapter, when Ness sacrifices her chance at an escape to save the life of her son and husband. If hardness of spirit is endurance, then Ness’s soul remains resilient to protect her family. She willingly jumps from the tree so that the guard dogs do not find the remainder of her family. Therefore, we understand that Ness learns to love from Esi.

If Susan was like any of the other masters’ wives, she must have known that her husband’s bringing a new slave into the house meant she had better pay attention. In this and every other southern county, men’s eyes, and other body parts, had been known to wander. (73)

This quotation explains the habits of many masters. In many houses, when a master moves a new slave into the house, the master’s wife considers the new slave a looming threat of her husband’s infidelity. This quotation exposes that it was very commonplace for masters to sexually assault the house slaves.

She walked out to her audience of two, her shoulders bared, as well as the bottom halves of her calves, and when Susan Stockham saw her, she fainted outright. (73)

In this quotation, Ness dresses in the uniform of a house slave and presents herself in from of Tom Allan and Mrs. Stockham. Susan Stockham then faints when seeing the scars covering Ness’s body. This result highlights the severity of the scars on Ness’s body and hints at the pain that she must have felt when receiving those. It is important to note that Ness is accustomed to those scars now. Even if the scars are causing her great pain, Ness continues working because she has no other choice. Susan Stockham is allowed the luxury to faint, but Ness is not. This quotation highlights the struggles of slaves beyond displacement and removal of rights: they are whipped, disciplined, sexually assaulted, and killed. 

Maybe he remembered the scars on her shoulders, remembered how they had kept his wife laid up in bed for the rest of that day and put him off his dinner for a week. Maybe he wondered what a slave had to do to earn stripes like that, what trouble a slave like that must be capable of. And there his son was on the ground with dirt on his shorts and the mute child Pinky crying. Ness was sure that he could see clear as day what had happened, but it was the memory of her scars that made him doubt. A slave with scars like that, and his son on the ground. There wasn’t anything else he could do. (79)

This quotation portrays the impact of Ness’s scars on Tom Allan. He remembers his wife being horrified by the scars on Ness’s body. If he ever considers why she might have gotten those scars, he now has an answer. Masters discipline slaves brutally for actions as small as tripping. In this scene, he sees his son holding a switch, waiting for someone to punish Pinky for a harmless act. Tom Allan realises the severity of the mindset many white people have towards the slaves on their plantations and how viciously they are treated.

The Devil shows no mercy, even though he knows she is lying. Even though Sam tries time and again to accept the blame. She is beaten until the whip snaps off her back like pulled taffy, and then she is kicked to the ground. When he leaves, Sam is crying and Ness is barely conscious. Sam’s words come out in a thick and feverish prayer, and Ness can’t understand what he’s saying. (81)

In this scene, Ness takes the blame for one of Sam’s actions. For this, the Devil punishes her. Sam, who previously has no feelings towards Ness, pleads to take her place. This portrays the strength of his emotions and the brutality of the Devil’s actions. Sam’s worry shows his own love for Ness. This also refers to Ness’s perception of love as discussed earlier. Sam is hard of spirit and he seems unbreakable at the start of the chapter. He now prays and begs for Ness to be okay. Sam’s personality and his actions are enough for Ness to be perceived as love. After this punishment, readers, for the first time, can see his emotions for Ness.

Following the birth of their son, Sam had come to be all that the Devil had wanted him to be. Tame, a good, hard worker who rarely fought or caused trouble. He would remember the way the Devil had beaten Ness for his folly, and when he held Kojo, called Jo, for the first time, he’d promised himself that no harm would come to the boy on his account. (84)

Sam changes from his old ways to prevent any harm coming upon his son. Sam remembers the pain that Ness suffered because of his actions and he never wants his son to suffer in the same way. This mentality of his similarly embodies the mentality Esi had when raising Ness. Sam wants to ensure that his son and wife will never be hurt because of him, and by becoming the Devil’s “model” slave, he finds a way to make sure of that.

Without thinking, she began singing a little Twi tune her mother used to sing sorrowfully on nights when the work of slavery was particularly grueling, when she had been beaten for supposed insolence or laziness or failure. “The Dove has failed. Oh, what to do? Make her to suffer, or you’ll fail too.” (84)

This tune is a reference to the servant girl Little Dove who served in Esi’s house. Little Dove was punished for her inability to carry out a particularly difficult task. This is similar to how Esi was punished by the Devil. In the chapter on Esi, Esi used to agree with her father about the way to discipline servants when they failed to complete the tasks assigned to them. In this chapter, we see how Esi is receiving the same discipline. With this tune, readers can comprehend that Esi considers herself to be in the same shoes as Little Dove. She truly believes that she is being punished as a result of a curse.

She looked over at the tree Sam was in and hoped he would forgive her for all that she was about to bring upon them, and then she climbed down the tree. She was on the ground before she realized that Sam had done the same. (86)

This quotation is heartbreaking. Ness is willing to sacrifice her chance at escape to allow her husband and son to escape. She is embodying the same hardness of spirit that she admired about her mother. She wants to protect Sam and Kojo, and is ready to face any consequences to allow their escape. Sam, however, has the same idea. He and Ness have such love for each other and their son that they are both willing to sacrifice themselves. It presents why Ness loves Sam – he shows love in the same way that her mother did. They both jump down at the same time, so they are both taken back to the plantation. They both sacrifice their chance for freedom out of love. It is heartbreaking because neither get to escape with their son. Neither get a chance to live the life they deserve. 

Historical Context & Additional Resources

Beginnings of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade

The transatlantic slave trade was the largest of the four slave trade waves that spanned five centuries, from the 1400s to the 1900s. Primarily initiated by the Portuguese around the 15th century for labor in plantations on Atlantic African islands, the practice was later adopted by other Europeans and expanded to the provision of labor in the European colonies of the Americas, with small numbers sent to Europe. The following centuries saw the Dutch overtake the Portuguese as the leading traders, succeeded by the French and British by the 18th century.

Rather than directly targeting the African nations through attacks and raids which proved to be unsuccessful during the initial attempts, the Europeans established agreements for trade between Europe, and Western and Central Africa. Part of this reason was the cost of resources and the Europeans’ inability to overcome their counterparts’ military practices. These relations, initially peaceful, were soon insufficient for the increasing needs of slaves for labor. Thus, military alliances came to be, forged between the dominating European monopoly in the slave trade, and African tribes against their local rivals.

The new approach provided economic motivation for the further capture and sale of slaves to the Europeans, resulting in overwhelming consequences on economy, agriculture and quality of life. Fear was abundant amongst the villages and towns, with tribes aware of the looming risk of possible attacks from others. Attempts by Europeans to colonize and infiltrate West and Central Africa were met with resistance from local leaders, instead providing those captured during internal conflicts and intentional raids as there was already an established slavery system within the tribes.

The Middle Passage – Voyage Across the Atlantic

Ranging from the 16th to 19th century, the transatlantic slave trade was responsible for the enslavement of around 12 million Africans, most notably from Central and West Africa. Forced to embark on a perilous journey across the Middle Passage, 12% of those enslaved did not survive the journey. The captors made no distinction between man, woman or child, all of whom were captured. They were, however, segregated when transported from the African continent to the Americas via the Atlantic Ocean on ships where they were kept in dire living conditions.

These vessels were made for the specific purpose of transporting slaves, with the available space used to the maximal extent, allowing for the movement of as many captures as possible. Not only were they chained or tied together, but large numbers of slaves were essentially packed in close quarters. The overcrowded conditions were further worsened by lack of sanitation, festering contagious diseases. Additionally, the captured were unable to sit up, so low were the ceilings and the sheer number of slaves on a single ship. Together with the lengthy journey which could last up to two months, these conditions meant that many did not survive the voyage. Estimates place mortality rates between 10 to 20 percent of those who were made to embark on the journey.

It was not uncommon for the women on board to be victims of sexual abuse at the hands of crew-members. For various reasons, at times the slave cargo aboard ships needed to be reduced, be it for insolence, rebellion, or to prevent the spread of disease. This meant that captains ordered Africans to be thrown overboard into the Atlantic, leaving them to drown to their deaths.

Slaves and Plantations

Captured slaves from the African continent were disembarked at several ports around the Americas, and sold for labor in various industries. The largest amongst them was cash crop agriculture, which differed by state. By far the largest and most profitable during the peak of the trans-atlantic slave trade was cotton, boosted by the introduction of cotton gin. Alabama in particular, would go on to become the main cotton producer of the country.

Slaves were forced to work from dusk to dawn and given few breaks. They were subject to the danger of brutal punishment in the form of whippings, often public, for any failures which were at the discretion of the slave owner. A typical plantation consisted of a large mansion where the owner and his family enjoyed a life of luxury. The large acres of land included the plantations, perhaps some orchards and mills for the production and supply of subsistence to keep the plantation functioning, along with a blacksmiths workshop and small houses for the slaves to live in, often inadequate in size. Most of these plantations were isolated from each other, with few dirt roads in between. The major form of transportation was through the river, which meant many plantations were built in close proximity to a river to allow for export of the goods as well as import of necessities from the city to keep the plantation running smoothly.

The slaves carried pails with them, where their daily rations and food supplies were provided while they worked on the fields, rather than being permitted breaks for meals. It was also not uncommon for children to work on these lands, with tasks ranging from cotton chopping to fetching water for the daily supplies both within the house and to support the cotton production process. Before the introduction of wells, this meant that frequent trips were made to the nearest river on a daily basis in order to obtain buckets of water.

Escaping Slavery

At the height of slavery in the 18th and 19th century, many of the enslaved tried to escape what appeared to be a sealed fate. Aware of the consequences and harsh punishments that awaited them if caught, large numbers of slaves attempted to flee their captors and inhumane working and living conditions. While some were successful, many were caught and had to face the repercussions of what this recapturing entailed. Easily spotted in the day time due to their skin color, paired with unfamiliarity of the region and the spread of plantations over large distances, slaves were often caught while on the run with the help of bloodhounds. Over time, the fugitive slave acts of 1790 and 1830 came to be passed, which dictated that any fugitive slaves were to be returned to their owners with enforced assistance from other states and law-enforcement authorities. Met with resistance from the North who pushed for abolishing slavery, together these circumstances eventually led to the Civil War.

Additional Resources