Freewater

“‘Homer, you hear those monsters?’ asked Ada. […]

‘It’s animals you’re hearing—ain’t no monsters, Ada.’ […]

‘You think we could get up North from here?’ Hope shone in Ada’s eyes as she said it. […]

‘Ain’t no heading North in this here swamp. Besides, we can’t go North without…’ My ending hung in the air. Mama.”

Ada’s belief in both monsters and miracles is initially dismissed as childish. However, both ideas are necessary because the monstrosity of enslavement is real, and chasing them. Belief in the impossible leads to innovation, and though the siblings won’t “fly,” they will walk on sky bridges and eventually save Mama.

“Master Crumb’s father had made a gift of Old Joe to his son on his wedding day. I’d seen many kinds of ways we moved from one place to another. We were sold, loaned, taken, and ran away, but gifting was the strangest. Gifts sound nice, but slave moving was always ugly. It didn’t seem right to call it gifting.”

Homer has to actively unlearn the racism instilled in him by Mr. Crumb and other enslavers. Here, he exposes the dissonance of giving away a human being and calling it “gifting.” Euphemisms disguise the horrific reality of enslavement, which Homer needs to overcome in order to achieve true freedom of body and mind.

“‘You hear that? I think they’re coming for us.’ Ada’s face went tight, and she stood up.

‘Ada, ain’t no monsters coming for us.’ I leaned back. She spun around with her ear cocked to the foggy sky.

‘I ain’t meaning monsters. The dogs,’ she said.”

Young Ada may speak of swamp monsters, but she still knows the true danger is enslavement—which, at this moment, takes the form of overseer Stokes and his hunting dogs. The siblings’ lives in enslavement allow them to be brave in the face of other challenges.

“It was the fog that made him appear to be sent down like a bird from some other world, someplace…magical.

When he came through the cloud above Ada and me, his long arms and legs were outstretched like a hawk. He was free-falling, plunging through a path between the tree branches. Silent, he dropped until he neared the ground, where he grabbed hold of one branch then another to slow his fall and land on two feet before Ada and me.”

Not long after Ada fantasizes about flying, Suleman appears, a “flying” man who guides the siblings to the safe haven of Freewater. This encounter shows the siblings that there is more to life than fear and subservience.

“‘Now that you’re free, there’s much for you to learn,’ he said.

Free. That sounded strange. There was no North, no pretty houses, no Mama. I didn’t even know there could be freedom without Mama. My heart sank.”

This quote introduces Freewater’s main conflict, which relates to the Familial Impact on Enslavement and Freedom. Homer and Ada’s mother, Rose, wanted to escape Southerland plantation out of concern for her children; likewise, Homer doesn’t feel truly “free” in Freewater without her. This parallel frames family as key to decisions about when and how to attempt escape—if at all.

“‘Which plantation do you belong to?’ asked Ada.

‘No plantation ever had me. Not here.’ Suleman pointed to his head. ‘I ran three times.’ He held up his two-fingered hand. ‘The overseer took one each time. Now, plantations belong to me,’ said Suleman.”

Suleman distinguishes between body and mind by pointing out that though his body was physically enslaved at a plantation, his mind was not—and never was. With determination, he was able to escape for good despite physical torture.

“‘You’re wearing one of Master Crumb’s shirts.’ As I said it, I knew it was true. If he’d have been wearing a shirt made of gold, I wouldn’t have been as surprised.”

The distinction between possible and impossible is further complicated because Homer is more inclined to believe Suleman defied the laws of physics than those of society. Suleman stealing Crumb’s shirt only seems impossible because enslavers want to discourage enslaved people and uphold the status quo.

“Deep rust-colored mud covered their skin. Leaves and branches, strung on by vines and rope, looped around their heads and hair, down their bodies and to their toes. They were trees come to life, with no telling where leaves and mud stopped and where their bodies began.

‘Tree people,’ Ada whispered. ‘You think they’re the monsters Mrs. Petunia talked about?”

Ada heard folklore about tree people from Mrs. Petunia, who claimed they eat children. It’s unclear if she truly believed this or wanted to scare Ada. Regardless, the “tree people” aren’t monsters at all, but Freewater patrollers who make use of the environment and guide Homer and Ada to their home.

“‘You got somewhere else to fly to now?’ Ada asked with seriousness.

‘In a way,’ said Suleman. In time, everyone found it easier bending to Ada’s view.”

Ada believes folkloric stories in which people fly North, and though Suleman can’t literally fly, him swinging from trees still impresses her. Although he may not believe in literal flying, he shares Ada’s belief in miracles, always embracing new possibilities and pushing his limits.

“I half felt like I was starting to live in one of her imaginings with flying men, secret swamp doors, tree people, and now this. […]

You ever seen something that don’t seem real? I’ve seen a few things. Like the time Jenny the horse had a little baby horse. I tell you I couldn’t half believe my eyes when it came out. First it wasn’t there, then it was, all big-eyed and wobbly. Old Joe said don’t, but I touched it. I like to make sure of things.”

Upon seeing miraculous sights in the swamp and Freewater, Homer reflects on having seen the miraculous before. The comparison of a free community to the miracle of birth reinforces the novel’s connection between family and freedom.

“‘Ain’t no way I’m going back in that wretched swamp again,’ said Rick, scratching his bug bites.

‘Me too, the devil himself couldn’t live in that place,’ said Ron, pulling a wet sock from his foot.”

Because Rick and Ron do not believe in the impossible, they assume Homer and Ada must be dead. Freewater’s residents use this assumption to survive undetected in the swamp. Ron’s talk of the devil is ironic because the closest people to devils—enslavers—are unable to live in the swamp, which is what makes it a safe haven.

“The more [Anna] was bought and sold, the more mysterious and uncomfortable she became for those she served. No one seller could speak for her—so each made up tales about who she was and how well she’d serve her new master, just to be rid of her. […]

Yet Anna knew differently. […] she concluded that her arrow scar was a message. Directions for where she was meant to find her mother once again. North.”

With no definitive backstory, Anna creates her own, further developing The Power of Hope. Whether or not Anna’s mother truly scarred her with an arrow-shaped mark to guide her North, Anna’s belief in this story gives her the strength to pursue escape. This mentality is what drives characters like Suleman as well.

“[Nora] heard talk about catching runaways all her life, and she hadn’t thought too much of it. Rose, Homer, and Ada, they were different, weren’t they? But something in Nora’s father’s words made her blood run cold. It didn’t match the father who tucked her in at night.”

This is the moment when Nora starts to realize The Challenges of Enslavement and Escape. Because Rose raised the rejected Crumb daughter, she can’t deny Rose’s humanity, and won’t tolerate her abuse or continued enslavement. Eventually, she extends this logic to all enslaved people, because she realizes all of them are human and worthy of human decency.

“‘You got a big house here?’ […] ‘I mean a Master house.’ Ada opened her arms wide. ‘The kind that lights up like a monster at night.’

Juna frowned, a little confused. ‘No, we don’t have any monster houses here, and no masters. I’ve heard talk of them, but no white people have ever been to Freewater.’”

This quote emphasizes the monstrosity of enslavement by comparing the Big House, the Crumbs’ house, to a monster. It also complicates the distinction between possible and impossible because Juna’s never been on a plantation, her lack of knowledge speaking to Freewater’s success as a safe haven.

“‘I know, I know,’ sniffed Sanzi, fingering the plant, pulling off the firm red knobs, and leaving behind the buttery-yellow delicate baby roots. […]

[Mrs. Light] pointed to the place beyond the fog, beyond all that Sanzi had ever known. ‘Out there, they take and take from the land. They use us to do it. Only ugly comes from that land.’”

Mrs. Light points out that enslavement harms humans and nature itself, all for the sake of profit. Like enslavement, overharvesting is cruel and unsustainable. Whereas plantation owners view nature as something to be conquered or destroyed, Freewater views nature as their partner, the swamp offering gifts to those who respect it.

“Juna had braided Ada’s hair and taught her how to twist flowers into garlands and to weave them through her braids. Ever since, Ada walked about in search of flowers, determined that she would be Juna’s twin. It was her way of missing Mama. Like Juna, Mama loved flowers. Mama couldn’t be here, so Ada loved Juna.”

Flowers symbolize the beauty of nature, which persists despite human civilization. Homer and Ada associate flowers with their mother, who loves them. This, in turn, brings the siblings closer to Freewater residents who love flowers, such as Juna and Mrs. Light.

“‘It feels d-d-different, don’t it? The work,’ said Billy.

As soon as he asked the question, I understood the answer.

There was no one there directing us, whipping us, threatening us. The swamp gave us our directions.”

Billy and Homer’s conversation explores issues with enslavement and the benefits of living in a free community. While the work associated with enslavement comes with dehumanization and lack of pay, Freewater requires necessary chores that all residents benefit from and are willing to do.

“Although her body had come back, Rose’s mind and spirit were elsewhere. Her eyes were so empty and dark, to look in them was like peering into one of the kitchen’s empty cast iron pots.”

Nora also learns about the distinction between body and mind by observing Rose. Rose remains physically enslaved and mentally detached at Southerland plantation because she is worried about her children—not knowing if they are alive or dead, or if she will ever reunite with them.

“Nora had sat in that wooden chair most of her life, but for the first time it felt hot, burning her backside. She stood up. Viola had sat in that chair, her chair. She used to visit Rose, but she never spoke to Rose now. Never. To her, Rose didn’t exist, except to cook. Nora was nothing like Viola. Was she? […]

She was filled with fear. Fear that if she didn’t do something, she would become like her sister.”

Having been rejected by her family at birth, Nora is in a unique position to see their shortcomings. She realizes her family is inhumane, and unless she actively resists their ideology, she will become them. This epiphany pushes her to rebel, for the sake of Rose, her mother figure, if not herself.

“The gang leader had set his knife down as he unlocked the chains. The moment Ferdinand took the knife and the moment he ran free as his own person were so intertwined, the knife itself became part of his identity—the symbol of who he was and his freedom.”

Ferdinand recalls when he escaped enslavement: He was in a chain gang, physically chained to other boys, but the moment the chains were undone, he took the opportunity to steal a knife and run. He trades this collective identity for one of his own choosing—the Freewater community—but still conflates himself with the knife. Upon losing it, Ferdinand feels a need to get a new knife and thus joins Homer’s rescue.

“‘I’m tired of people saying that. I ain’t no hero and I wasn’t brave when we ran away. Ada and I weren’t alone. Mama was with us, she went back on account of me, she got caught on account of me.’ Homer’s voice choked up with tears.

‘Don’t say that, Homer. It was Stokes’s fault. He got Mama,’ said Ada.”

Throughout the novel, Homer struggles with guilt, blaming himself for Mama’s capture. However, Ada points out that Stokes, and by extension, the institution of enslavement, are to blame.

“‘Lord only knows how many of us they keep from running, how many of us stay in these hateful places out of love. I used to think it was from scaring us—beating, cutting, or whipping us that did it. No. They get us best when we love anybody or anything. That’s how they keep us.”

Turner believes love is what ultimately prevents enslaved people from escaping enslavers, rather than fear. Crumb uses his son, Desmond, against him, coercing him to spy on other enslaved people. Many plantation owners partake in similar manipulation, preventing people from running by threatening their loved ones.

“He pushed me, pointing to a table clear across the tent. Neither of us could hardly see it through all the people moving, talking, smoking, and dancing. There wasn’t a single place in the swamp as scary as the walk to that table.”

Having returned to Southerland to rescue Mama, Homer sees the place with new eyes, and reiterates that nothing is as monstrous as enslavement. Still, he possesses the courage necessary to risk his life for Mama and possibly Anna.