The Ways that People See the World

Enslaved people and free people in the novel see the entire world differently; therefore it is difficult for some characters to understand the ones they love, leading to poor decisions at times. The character who exemplifies this the most is Sanzi. Unlike most of the people in Freewater, she was born in the community. She had never seen a white person before going to Southerland nor had she been allowed outside of Freewater. She had never seen a plantation. Her mother’s main priority in parenting was to keep her child free from slavery. Being ignorant to what slavery really is, Sanzi frequently disobeyed her mother because she did not understand the real danger. Eventually her viewpoint changes, but it is not until she views a plantation up close and is looked at through the eyes of racists. She needs...