Chains

Isabel Finch arrives in New York City on the precipice of the colonial revolution, though she is already embattled in a war for her freedom. At only 13 years old, she has already experienced the pain of deep loss, the trauma of enslavement, and now the disorientation of deportment to a new and unfamiliar world. She is not naïve of her enslavement, but her former owner was kind, and she enjoyed the peace and pastoral setting of Rhode Island. Her journey to New York opens her eyes not just to the reality of her bondage but also to the state of Western politics. Isabel has dreams of freedom for herself and her sister Ruth, but she cannot pursue them in the face of a constantly changing reality. Her path takes her from innocence to awareness as she fends off the evilest talons of slavery while preserving her dignity and humanity. With her fate so closely woven into that of the rebels, she cannot ignore the war going on around her. However, she refuses to take sides, telling Curzon, “I’m just fighting for me and Ruth. You can keep your rebellion” (39). She works both sides of the conflict at times when it benefits her the most.