Theme of Freedom in Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson Essay Sample

“Give me liberty or give me death.” Patrick Henry. The hypocrisy of this statement is that Henry, like many other revolutionary characters, owned slaves themselves. He fought hard for freedom but withheld people of their own. In the historical novel Chains, by Laurie Halse Anderson, she tells a story of a teen girl Isabel born into slavery and was given the false hope of freedom following her master’s death. She and her younger sister are sold to a Loyalist family in New York. Isabel, only thirteen years old herself, is left to take care of her little sister Ruth. Isabel is ultimately forced to make the biggest decision, stay with her master’s and deal with continuous abuse, or flee and risk being caught and or killed. In Anderson’s novel Chains, she  foreshadows the theme of freedom through the use of primary sources at the beginning of each chapter 

Anderson’s use of primary sources, direct from the slave’s point of view, begins to develop the theme of freedom. During the revolution, the fight for liberty was strong, but that fight did not include everyone;  slaves wanted a part of this freedom that was sought out for and some of them made it very clear. “...We have in common with all other men the natural right to freedom without being depriv’d of them by our fellow men.. “(48). This source comes directly from the Petition of Freedom which was composed by a group of slaves. Men who fight for freedom should not be able to deprive another of his. This foreshadowing plays out in the novel as Isabel, while laying in bed, considers Curzon’s offer of spying for the Patriots after hearing of the awful abuse Madam Lockton displayed on her previous slaves. Some slaves displayed their disapproval of the exclusion of black people in the struggle for independence in other ways. “.. I, Young in life, by cruel fate was snatch’d from Africa… And can I then pray others may never feel this tyrannical sway…” (8). Phyllis Wheatley, who wrote this quote, had witnessed the monstrosity of slavery firsthand. Consequently, this relates to Isabel, as her ancestors were stolen from Africa and forced into slavery. This ties into the theme of freedom, as slavery is the taker of freedom. Phyllis hopes that no one else has to go through the horror of slavery and therefore, have their freedom stolen. Slaves, however, were not the only ones with the dream of freedom.

The writing style of Anderson’s novel uses primary sources to grow the theme of freedom from both sides of the war: the British and the Patriots. The Declaration of Independence has an infamous quote about freedom, yet was written when slavery was still extremely present. “All men are created equal… Creator with certain unalienable right, that among these are life liberty and the pursuit of happiness” (290). The Declaration of Independence implies that all men are created equal, and with this being said, have certain rights. Anderson uses this to foreshadow what will happen in this chapter. In this chapter, Madam Lockton slashes a cross across Isabel’s face. This is contrary to the statement “ all men are created equal”. Another Primary source that relates to freedom comes from the opposing side, a loyalist  “ How is it that we hear the loudest yelps for liberty among the drivers of negroes?...” (36). This source relates to Isabel as, throughout the novel, the call for freedom often comes from the strippers of freedom. Like Bellingham, a Patriot fighting for Liberty, but owns a slave, Curzon. This primary source relates to the theme of freedom as it shows the reality of the patriot cause and how the fight for freedom didn’t include everyone.

Throughout the novel Chains, Laurie Halse Anderson heightens the theme of freedom by her use of primary sources at the beginning of each chapter. In the novel, the call for freedom comes from those who have so little, slaves, during the revolutionary war period, and thus the wish for freedom was large but that did not include everyone. Freedom is wanted by patriots and loyalists. Isabel hears the desire for freedom from those who rob others of theirs, slave owners.  As expressed freedom was sought out by everyone but not everyone was granted it.