Chains

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2008

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1, Chapters 1-3

Part 1, Chapters 4-7

Part 1, Chapters 8-10

Part 1, Chapters 11-13

Part 1, Chapters 14-16

Part 1, Chapters 17-20

Part 1, Chapters 21-24

Part 2, Chapters 25-29

Part 2, Chapters 30-33

Part 2, Chapters 34-37

Part 2, Chapters 38-40

Part 2, Chapters 41-45

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Part 2, Chapters 38-40Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 2, Chapters 38-40 Summary

Preparations for the Christmas season begin, and Isabel decorates the house. However, all the preparations remind her of spending Christmas with her family, and she cries. Lady Seymour gives Isabel new shoes for Christmas. Isabel is supposed to have Christmas day off, but Madam Lockton keeps finding work for her to do. When Lady Seymour is not present, Madam tells Isabel that she knows about Isabel’s daily visits to the prison and threatens her if she keeps going. Isabel worries about Curzon’s health if she cannot bring him food. On Christmas night, she is intent on celebrating in her own way. She bathes, dresses, and bakes a pudding and delivers it to a family in need.

Isabel accompanies Sarah, the heavily pregnant cook, to the market and runs into Captain Morse. He has an important message for his men in the prison and wants her to deliver it. She is wary but devises a plan to meet him at the tavern. Madam Lockton has told Sarah not to let Isabel fetch water from the pump, but Sarah is too tired to do it, and she agrees not to tell Madam. Isabel intentionally spills the water bucket, giving her an excuse to leave the house. She meets Morse at the tavern, and he tells her the rebels have won a great victory. He has baked the message into a loaf of bread for her to deliver to the men. She takes the loaf to the prison and passes it to Didbin through the bars. The prison erupts with celebration.

News continues to pour in of rebel success on the battlefield despite all odds. Many people cannot believe the turn of events. The prisoners of war are fed better but still kept in wretched conditions. Master Lockton leaves for London, and Isabel continues to make her trips daily to deliver food to the Curzon. His health has improved, and he depends on her daily visits to lift his mood. A British guard, Fisher, offers Isabel a job in the prison. She is keen to take it because it will get her out of the Lockton home and give her more access to Curzon.

Sarah’s baby is born, and she names it George after the King. She and her husband move into a home nearby. Lady Seymour’s health continues to decline. She feels her time is near and confesses to Isabel that she wanted to buy her. Isabel appreciates her kindness but does not know how to respond to the dying woman’s ramblings: “We had no string of words that could tie us together” (261). Isabel continues to serve Colonel Hawkins though he is rude and demanding. She steals time to continue reading Common Sense in secret.

Part 2, Chapters 38-40 Analysis

The Christmas holiday is a turning point for Isabel in the narrative. She has vacillated through seasons of depression, and though her job to feed the prisoners has offered some distraction, she remains low with a heavy heart most days. The holiday preparations are a painful reminder of all she has lost. In a rare moment of outward emotion, she allows herself to cry. Though she is broken open at this moment, it is a healthy release and stirs her to act. In baking the pudding for the needy family, she puts aside her pain to serve others. Walking through the charred remains of the town, she sees glimmers of hope in the decorations. These are symbols of hope returning to her soul. She sees the power and beauty of community, and she realizes the best way to fight evil is to show love to humanity. She can pray for the first time in a while, signifying that she is reopening her heart and mind to divine intervention.

Her attitude towards Madam Lockton shifts dramatically in these chapters as well. Serving the soldiers at the prison has proved to Isabel she is a person of value. Though it is dangerous, she looks forward to her daily trips and takes pride in her role helping Curzon recover. When Madam Lockton decries her mission and threatens to punish her severely for it, Isabel decides to no longer be ruled by this woman. She realizes Madam Lockton is using fear to oppress her, but she will no longer consent to be afraid. Though Madam may still legally own Isabel, Madam will have no more power over her mind. Isabel continues to boldly visit the prison, even delivering secret messages, and carries no dread over the possible consequences.

Lady Seymour continues in her kindness to Isabel. She provides her with new shoes and protects her from Madam’s scourge over the prison visitations. However, though she claims she was horrified by Isabel’s treatment and that Isabel would have “suited [Lady Seymour’s] household” (261), the words aren’t enough. Despite her kindness, she lacked the moral fortitude to stand up to the Locktons to defend Isabel and Ruth. Isabel needs liberation, not just new shoes and a new owner. Isabel shows appreciation for the Lady’s altruism but cannot understand her dying confessions. Though Isabel’s eyes have been opened to the harsh realities of her plight, she still has a childlike understanding of true compassion and friendship. She does not recognize these things in Lady Seymour, whose deathbed confessions are more about absolving her own soul rather than truly helping Isabel.