If there was one thing the American colonies had issues with, it was following orders. Think about it: Parliament places taxes on paper products and a violent mob in Boston loots the Lieutenant Governor's house; they tax tea and Boston Harbor becomes one gigantic, very strong teapot; rebels start a snowball fight with the British and people get shot. Our nation really does come from a heritage of bad boys.
But it wasn't just this way for the colonists. Through Isabel's eyes in Chains, we get to see how the endless rules placed on slaves affected their lives, as well as how the same rebelliousness kindled in the early Americans takes root in her. While Isabel fights against these rules and seems to lose a lot of battles, in the end, she's able to use them to secure her freedom.
Questions About Rules and Order
- Why are so many rules placed on slaves? What are the lawmakers so afraid of?
- How are Isabel's struggle for freedom and America's struggle to become a free nation similar? How are they different?
- Isabel faces strong punishments for breaking the rules, including imprisonment and death. What motivates her to take these risks?
- What is the significance of the pass Isabel steals at the end of the book? How do the very rules she rebels against save her in the end?
Chew on This
While Isabel doesn't get much help from their leaders in securing her freedom, she and the Patriots still share the same ultimate goal and rationale for it.
Just as the British sought to use the American colonies to their advantage, early Americans used economic and social reasoning to excuse their control over slaves.