Character Clues
Character Analysis
Actions
Chains is primarily about human desire for dignity and respect, and the ways characters behave toward each other provide clear evidence about where they land on the issue of whether slaves are deserving of these basic emotional needs.
Madam Lockton, for example, asserts her superiority over Isabel and Ruth through hostility and violence. Check out the part where Ruth has her seizure—does Madam kneel on the floor and check to make sure she's okay? No way, Bob. She "brought the broom down on the small, twisted body. Ruth couldn't raise her hands to protect herself" (15.6). It's cringe-worthy, to say the very least, and leaves no room for confusion about what kind of person Madam is (cough, terrible).
It's not just the major characters that reveal themselves through actions, though. Colonel Regan is initially sympathetic to Isabel's desire for freedom, agreeing to "personally look into [her] case" (16.66). Things change pretty quickly, though, when she runs to him for help after Ruth is sold, and he gives into the peer pressure of his officers and orders Isabel to return to the Locktons'. Regan may appear at first to be concerned with Isabel, but his decision to spurn her reveals that his loyalties ultimately lie with the social convention of slaves as property.
Chains is packed with characters who say one thing while doing the opposite. We've got more on this in the "Themes" section, so be sure to check it out.
Direct Characterization
Having spent her life in the Rhode Island countryside where the conflict over independence was merely a rumor, Isabel experiences major culture shock when she comes to serve the Locktons in New York. As a result, a lot of the information we get about characters comes from people Isabel interacts with. Isabel often uses these details as factors in the way she chooses to handle situations.
For instance, Curzon is pretty quick to warn Isabel on their first meeting that "Lockton is a dirty Loyalist" (6.29). This tells Isabel—and us—a couple of important things. First, Lockton isn't to be trusted; second, that (at least according to Curzon) the Loyalists are the bad guys in the conflict. All this sets us up for Isabel's eventual decision to turn to the Patriots with information about Lockton's activities, as well as her realization that the Locktons' home is "not a safe place" (10.24) for her and Ruth.
This direct detail from Curzon not only lets us know that this Lockton guy is bad news, but actually drives the action forward by motivating Isabel to seek freedom. It's the ultimate literary two-for-one deal.
Family Life
Chains features both the best and the worst of family relationships. On one hand, Isabel's relationship with Ruth lies at the heart of the story. With both of their parents gone, protecting Ruth is Isabel's main priority. She "[takes] a blow meant for her" (6.25) when Ruth laughs at the situation with Madam's linen chest, comforts her after Madam beats her for not being quiet, and ultimately confronts Madam when she hears Ruth has been sold, even though it means dire punishment for her.
Ruth and Isabel's bond is a clear example of family devotion, and in being such, it helps us understand what sorts of people these two are.
Things aren't so great for the Lockton family, though. For one thing, Master Lockton beats his wife when he feels he hasn't been "obeyed" (13.14)—on one occasion, he throws her into a bookcase; on another, he gives her a "purple welt" (17.40) on her face. And let's not forget that they're basically just waiting around for Lady Seymour to bite it so they can get all her money—Madam even directly asks Lady Seymour's doctor when they can expect her die.
Basically, political conspiracies aren't the only thing dangerous and volatile about living with the Locktons. They're pretty much the world's most dysfunctional family. Good thing they don't have kids.
Social Status
The Locktons' home is practically a microcosm of 18th-century society, especially after the displaced British soldiers and their wives show up. The hierarchy plays a huge role in developing the residents' characters and showing how they fit into the conflicts taking place both inside and outside the house.
First there's Madam, who rules the roost in every respect. Largely because of her massive ego, everything in the house revolves around her and she rarely lifts a finger at all. Isabel herself observes:
Mostly, Madam slept late, wrote letters, and picked out melodies on a badly tuned spinet. (8.4)
Madam sees herself as so far above everyone else that she's unable to do any work at all. No, really—as she tells her husband when he suggests that they lend Isabel to Lady Seymour, "I will not perform housework like a common wench" (30.18). Just to recap: Since all of us have done chores at some point or another, we're all just a bunch of wenches by Madam's standards.
Then, there's everybody else. When the soldiers come to live with the Locktons, their wives by default become Madam's servants. She even takes it upon herself to create whole subclasses among them—when she holds her dinner to celebrate the capture of Fort Washington, she selects "the prettiest of the soldierwives to wait at the table. The ugly ones and Sarah with her big belly were to stay in the kitchen" (34.3). And of course, Isabel, being a slave, lies even further below them on Madam's social scale.
The tension in the house between the rich Locktons, Isabel's abuse as a slave, and the soldiers' wives demotion to lower life forms is a major source of conflict as the war progresses. And also a major clue to just how rotten Madam is.