Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work.

The Power of Kindness

Isabel learns the value and multiplication of kindness when she and others repay kindness with kindness. Even before the novel begins, Isabel and her Momma are kind to Mary Finch who in turn sets them free in her will. Isabel’s mother was also kind to Jenny from the tavern when she was indentured, so Jenny treats Isabel and Ruth kindly, even offering to buy them from Finch. Becky Berry in the kitchen and Grandfather at the Tea Water Pump are kind to Isabel, so she treats them both with respect and deference. Lady Seymour treats Isabel with compassion. She feeds her and nurses her back to health, a kindness repaid when Isabel saves Lady Seymour’s life and cares for her after the fire. Curzon helps Isabel often and offers her friendship. In return, Isabel risks her own life to save his at the end of the novel. What began as a simple act of kindness, carrying water, earns Isabel a lifelong friend in Curzon, who stands by her in her darkest hour as she is branded. Even the humble rebel prisoners repay her kindness with theirs. Again and again, Isabel experiences the light of kindness in the darkness of dungeons, pain, abuse, and winter’s cold.

The Dichotomy of Slavery and Freedom

As the most pervasive theme in the novel, the dichotomy of slavery and freedom plays out in two ways: Isabel fights to win freedom from the institution of slavery, while the American colonists, or rebels, fight to win freedom from the British monarchy. Anderson describes both fights unflinchingly, in vivid and brutal detail. Isabel’s branding and the conditions in the prison are the most dramatic manifestations in the novel of violent oppression, and Madam Lockton embodies the brutal ignorance of slave owners. Mr. Lockton represents the unsympathetic Loyalist who is only concerned with money and power.

Interestingly, both freedom fights are served by literacy. Isabel’s ability to read and write, thanks to Mary Finch, contributes to Isabel pursuing her personal freedom. She reads Mary’s will, reads books from the Lockton library, and even reads Paine’s Common Sense. She can write her own pass and give herself a new name. Independence for the colonists is declared in a document written by learned men, spurred by pamphlets such as Common Sense and speeches by patriots such as Nathan Hale.

History Is Both Personal and Cultural

When Isabel arrives in New York, she does not care about politics or the war; she only cares about protecting herself and her sister, Ruth. Further, Isabel cares about achieving her own personal freedom but not about the freedom for all slaves or the freedom of the colonists. For Isabel, history is personal history, the story of her mother and father and perhaps their parents and grandparents, no more inclusive than that. However, as the novel progresses, Isabel’s views expand. She quickly realizes that she cannot ignore the war around her. When Isabel meets Curzon, she is pulled into the fray. Her decision to become a spy solidifies her role as a patriot. When Isabel tries to turn to the other side and support the British, her resolve does not last because she does not believe in their views. When she reads Common Sense, she embraces the notion that no person should have implicit authority over others because of their wealth or birth. The novel reinforces the idea that people should be equal and that it is important to stand up to injustice. Isabel is lifted out of the personal and into the political realm as she grows.