Genre
Young Adult Fiction
Setting and Context
America, 1800s, during the time of slavery and the rise of the abolitionist movement in the north
Narrator and Point of View
The story is told from an abolitionist point of view both from the perspective of Handful as the slave and of Sarah as the pioneering abolitionist
Tone and Mood
Threatening, unjust
Protagonist and Antagonist
Sarah is the protagonist and those she fights to end slavery are the antagonists
Major Conflict
The major conflict is between abolitionists and those who fight to retain slavery
Climax
Handful and Sky's escape disguised as women in mourning and their freedom voyage to the north
Foreshadowing
Sarah leaving the house to go north foreshadows the decline in treatment of the slaves now that her mother is solely in control
Understatement
The book describes the masters' treatment of the slaves as "poor" which is a big understatement as they were treated horribly and punished brutally
Allusions
The author alludes to several key historical figures in the anti-slavery movement
Imagery
The author paints vivid visual pictures of the way in which slaves are treated and of the differences between the beauty of the plantation homes on the outside and the ugliness of the goings on on the inside
Paradox
Sarah is a paradox as she is entirely the opposite of the person she was raised to be.
Parallelism
There is a parallel between the rebellion that burns inside Sarah and the rebellion that burns inside Handful
Metonymy and Synecdoche
The slaves is a term used to encompass each African-American person enslaved by a master
Personification
no specific examples in the novel
