Essay Questions

Sarah is ahead of her time in many ways. What are some of the ways in which she does not fit into the mould that society expects her to?

Sarah is ahead of her time in many ways. The two main ways in which she does not fit the mould of the time are in her willingness to stand up for what she believes is right, and her commitment to equality. At the time, it was not considered seemly for a woman to defy either convention or her family. Sarah's role was to marry well, produce children and devote herself to upholding the status quo. Sarah was a career woman when such a thing did not exist and went so far as to choose to stay single so that she could devote herself to touring the country and speaking about the need for abolition of slavery. She also flew in the face of society by exposing the abolition of slavery and demanding equality both for the races and the genders. Holding these opinions in private was hazardous enough but publicly espousing them was another thing entirely. Publicly backing the abolition of slavery was sometimes extremely dangerous yet Sarah realizes that the issue is so important that it is worth jeopardizing her own safety for. This makes her greatly different from the majority of women in her social circle.

Why is the quilt so important?

The quilt has both symbolic and real life importance. To Handful it is a symbol of her mother and their struggle and it is also symbolic of her hope for met mother's return. Because much of the quilt is made from pieces of fabric that are either discarded edges or pieces that they stole from Sarah's mother, it is also a symbol of them taking from their masters who usually took from them. Handful finishes the quilt in her mother's absence to show that she has stepped into her shoes but also because she wants to be able to show the finished quilt to her when she returns. To Handful's mother the quilt has a more real-life, worldly symbolism. She hides all of the money she has squirreled away from odd jobs inside the part she has sewn and so the quilt is a symbol of freedom as she is saving up enough money in it to buy freedom for Handful and herself.

This is a well-written fictional novel but also an important history lesson. How does the author teach whilst seeking to be telling a story?

Although this isn't a history book, the reader is able to learn a great deal about our history through reading it. The main historical lesson within it is that of the abolitionist movement and their dedicated battle to abolish slavery. We also learn about the way in which slaves were possessions that could be bought and traded much like goods at a marketplace. We also learn about the lack of equality for women who were rarely permitted to go out and make a stand like Sarah managed to do, and we also learn that Sarah could not be married and have this mission; she has to make a choice. Through the different characters we learn about the historical events and the way in which history was only changed by the brave and determined actions of a few.