Ness

Summary: Ness

Ness has been working on an Alabama plantation for the past several months, after spending a year in a place she calls Hell. When Ness first came to this plantation, the owner, Tom Allan Stockham, thought Ness was too pretty to work in the field and had Ness dress in the house slave uniform. However, Tom was horrified by the scars all over Ness’s body and sent Ness to work in the field after all. Though Ness keeps to herself, one of the other slave’s daughters, Pinky, becomes inseparable from her, having been mute since her own mother died. Pinky’s job is to collect water from the creek to bring back to the plantation. One day, the Stockham children run into Pinky, spilling her water, and the boy, Tom Jr., insists she apologize. Though Ness tries to apologize on Pinky’s behalf, Tom Jr. threatens to beat her with a cane until Ness grabs it from his hand and he falls to the ground. Seeing what has happened, Tom says he will deal with Ness later.

That night, while fearing Tom’s punishment, Ness dreams about her time in Hell. There, she was forced to marry a man named Sam, who had just been brought over from Africa and was strong and angry and refused to learn English. One night, Sam destroyed their cabin, though Ness took the blame and was beaten for it by the plantation owner, the Devil. Sam apologized and helped Ness heal while beginning to learn English. Sam and Ness eventually consummated their marriage. Suddenly, Ness is woken by Pinky, who finally speaks to ask if she had a bad dream.

The next day, Ness thinks more about her time in Hell. She recalls how she made Sam wait outside their cabin while she was in labor with their son, Kojo. After Kojo’s birth, Sam became tamer, rarely causing trouble. She recalls meeting a woman named Aku, who heard Ness singing an Asante song she remembered Esi singing. Aku told Ness she could help her escape. Ness and Sam waited many seasons for Aku’s signal, but it finally came. They walked through the forest at night and hid in trees during the daylight. One night, Ness asked Aku to carry Kojo as her back was hurting. That morning, hiding in the trees, Ness heard the Devil’s voice, saying he knew they were there. Ness whispered to Aku in Twi that she should stay in the tree with Kojo, and she and Sam both climbed down to the ground, telling the Devil that their baby had died. Both were brought back to Hell, where Ness was whipped until she could not lift her head and made to watch as Sam was lynched.

Now, as she picks cotton in Alabama, Ness sees Tom out of the corner of her eye and prays for Kojo’s safety.

Analysis: Ness

Ness is the child Esi conceived after being raped by the British man at the castle, and her story shows where Esi ultimately ended up: enslaved in the American South. Ness’s life shows the horrible brutality of the slave trade that is being perpetuated by Ness’s cousin, Quey. Her story also shows the ultimate way oppressors try to control the oppressed: by separating families and, as a result, removing one’s identity. Like many enslaved children and parents, Ness was separated from her own mother. Ness was born after Esi crossed the Atlantic, though she still carries a few facets of Asante culture in her memories. However, the physical bond between Ness and her son Kojo is broken when she makes the choice to leave him behind, knowing he will have a better future. Although she did what was best for her son, Ness remains shattered at the plantation in Alabama, which is what bonds her with the non-speaking Pinky. Pinky, too, has been separated from her own mother due to the horrors of slavery, though through death instead of forced physical separation. Even through all of her trauma, Ness’s story shows how enduring the bond of love can be between her, Pinky, Sam, and Kojo.

Ness bears her pain both emotionally and physically, as it is present in the scars that cover her body. The scars remind Ness of not only the pain she experienced from the whipping after attempting to escape but also the trauma of having to abandon her son and witnessing the lynching of her husband. Though she did nothing to earn those scars, the scars also prevent her from having the relatively less demanding job of working in the house instead of working in the hot fields. The scars are a physical manifestation of how trauma repeats itself and is often inescapable. In addition, the fact that Tom refuses to look at the scars and so makes Ness work in the fields indicates that, on some level, he simply doesn’t want to be “shown” the horrors and evil of slavery, a system he uses and benefits from.

The theme of heritage is also explored in the characters of Pinky and Aku. Like Abronoma, Pinky spills water through no fault of her own and is nearly punished for it. While Esi, a young girl, had defended her father’s actions against Pinky, Ness is both older and more hardened than her mother was at the time. Like Maame, she understands that innocent people do not deserve violence or harsh treatment for simple mistakes and risks being punished herself for standing up for Pinky. Ness’s heritage is also what almost saves her and does save her son from a lifetime of enslavement. As Aku recognizes Ness as a fellow Asante, the two bond, and Aku promises to help her family to freedom. Speaking in the little Twi she remembers to Aku while they are hiding in the trees is what allows Ness to convey her plan for Aku to bring Kojo to safety. Though Esi’s fate meant that her descendants will lose their connection to their heritage over time, Ness’s experience with Aku shows how important holding on to that heritage can be.