Ghosts

From the opening of the novel, the text is steeped in death and ghosts. In the first chapter, Isabel visits her mother's grave and asks her for guidance. In this way, the reader knows that there will be a heavy reliance on the spirit world, particularly when Isabel is faced with adversity. Throughout the novel, Isabel seeks guidance not only from her mother, but from all the other slaves that have died before her, those she knows and those she doesn't know. Grandfather, as the old man at the well is called, embodies the voice of the spirit world when he tells Isabel, "You must choose your own side, find your road through the valley of darkness that will lead you to the river Jordan" (p. 167). On one level, Grandfather is referencing the two sides of the war: Loyalists and Patriots. On another level, he is referencing the...