Chains

Throughout the novel, young Isabel interacts with a number of different adults. How do these adults compare in their treatment of Isabel? You may want to consider the following points in formulating a response:

• How do people in power, such as the generals, take advantage of Isabel’s status as an enslaved person?
• How do the Locktons compare in their treatment of Isabel? 
• Do Lady Seymour’s small acts of kindness compensate for her never having saved Isabel?

Use details and cited quotations in your response.

Teaching Suggestion: It may be helpful to sort students into groups based on the different adults with whom Isabel interacts throughout the novel. Students might begin by brainstorming lists of major characters, such as the Locktons, as well as more minor characters, such as the other maids and housekeepers.

Differentiation Suggestion: For an approach that offers strategies and focus on the skill of making inferences, it may be helpful to first contextualize relationships between adults and young people more generally. Students might discuss first, for example, what is typically expected in these relationships in terms of adult responsibility and caretaking. This will provide students with a stronger footing for discussing ways that Isabel is failed by adults.