Chapter 9, Sketches of Neighboring Slaveholders Summary and Analysis

Here Linda tells about some of the other slaveholders of the town in which she lived. The reader is given the impression that the sufferings of Linda under Dr. Flint are by no means exceptional. Much of the chapter revolves around the wrongdoings of an infamous slaveholder called Mr. Litch. Beatings, whippings, and murders are commonplace on his plantation. One learns of a particularly horrific murder of a man named James.

Linda also tells us of a young woman whom she believed to be one of a rare group of truly good slaveholders. She treated her slaves well, honored their familial ties (she owned a mother and her six children), and they served her faithfully. They were happy and did not wish to be freed from slavery. However, after the young woman married...