Sarah’s father, John Grimké, punishes Sarah by refusing to let her read any books not fit for a lady, and sentences Handful to one whip lash. Handful practices her letters by writing in the ground and signs her name, but one of Sarah’s younger sisters finds the words and tattles on Handful. The two girls get closer, as Sarah admits to Handful that she has chosen a silver button to remind her of her ambition to become a lawyer, and Handful tells Sarah to call her Handful instead of Hetty.
Sarah applies herself to studying her brother Thomas’ law books and covertly begins to teach Handful to read. Handful accepts it gratefully, but with a new wariness about her white masters. Sarah defies her mother and brings Charlotte a basket of medicine.
Back at home, Charlotte is caught stealing green silk from Mary Grimké and is punished by tying her leg up for hours. Fed up, Sarah decides teach the slave children the alphabet at their Sunday school, but is reprimanded for breaking the law against teaching slaves to read. On Easter Sunday, the Grimkés go to the Anglican church and Sarah begins to truly notice how mistreated the slaves are in the city. Charlotte makes Sarah promise to help Handful get free some day. Handful does poorly as a lady’s maid, but Sarah keeps Handful as safe from her mother’s wrath as possible. Sarah does not want to own Handful (called Hetty by the Grimkés) and even tries to set Handful free, but Sarah’s parents refuse to honor that wish. Sarah describes her earliest memory of a slave getting whipped, an experience which caused Sarah to start to stutter. Handful usually helps her mother, Charlotte, with the sewing, but she is given to Sarah Grimké to be Sarah’s maid for Sarah’s eleventh birthday. Handful, so named for her small size at birth, is a slave for the Grimké family living in Charleston, South Carolina in 1803. Handful knows the legend isn’t true, but loves the idea anyway.
The novel opens from Handful’s perspective, as she retells an African legend of people who could fly but lost their wings once they were taken to America.
0 kommentar(er)
