“Ain’t many choices for a slave woman. Just know everything I do is for you. I’m a die a slave. I knows that. But you, baby, you are meant to see freedom.”

Ruth’s statement at the beginning of the book forms the foundation for Pheby’s philosophy throughout her life as an enslaved woman. When Pheby has children of her own, she learns firsthand what her mother meant. Like her mother, Pheby sacrifices her own happiness and body to secure the safety of her children.

“You the gran-daudder of Vinnie Brown, who was the gran-daudder of a Mandara queen. You a slave in name, but never in your mind, chile.”

Ruth reminds her daughter that she is more than a pawn in the institution of slavery. She has a heritage of dignity and love. Pheby attempts to instill this same message in her son, Monroe. She tells him that, while he is enslaved and may be sold, his mind is his own. Monroe struggles to hold onto this message but begins to buckle under the weight of The Pervasive Trauma of Enslavement. Pheby reminds him as often as she can that he is loved and has value.

“Two beautiful souls lost on the same day. I carried the boy up to the storehouse, removed a shove, and then went back to the spot where I had burned Essex’s clothes and started digging a grave for his son.”

Slavery dehumanizes people by disconnecting them from their own emotions. Pheby is unable to confront her own trauma or feelings because she must continue to move forward to protect the ones she loves. All at once, Pheby must bury her mother and the son of her lover. She must say goodbye to Essex and hope that he survives.