Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad

Nonfiction | Biography | Middle Grade | Published in 1955

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-2

Chapters 3-4

Chapters 5-6

Chapters 7-8

Chapters 9-10

Chapters 11-12

Chapters 13-14

Chapters 15-16

Chapters 17-18

Chapters 19-20

Chapters 21-22

Key Figures

Themes

Index of Terms

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Chapters 7-8Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 7 Summary: “Shuck This Corn”

It is autumn and time to harvest the corn, traditionally a cause for celebration. Brodas holds a “cornhusking bee” on his plantation, and his neighbor friends send slaves to help mound and husk the corn. The slaves sing together as they mound the crop into a huge pile and begin to race to see who can husk the most corn. As Harriet husks the corn, she notices that the overseer observes another enslaved young man visiting from neighbor Barrett’s plantation. She feels that the overseer is suspicious of him because he works slowly and quietly.

Harriet sees the other slave begin to leave the cornhusking, and the overseer pursues him. Harriet knows the slave is in danger and follows them both. When the overseer corners the store's young man, he escapes, and Harriet blocks the overseer’s path from pursuing him. The overseer attempts to throw a weight at the escaping slave but instead hits Harriet, who receives a large wound to her forehead and is knocked unconscious. The enslaved people on the Brodas plantation are concerned that Harriet will not survive her traumatic head injury, but Old Rit again nurses her back to health over a few months. Old Rit is worried that Brodas will sell Harriet to the “chain gang” because she behaved in a rebellious manner.

For months, Harriet convalesces in a semi-conscious state, lying on a pallet in her family’s cabin. Brodas tries to sell her but is unsuccessful because she is so ill. Harriet’s wound begins to heal, and she regains more of her faculties in the spring. She prays for Brodas to change his mind about selling her, but she soon learns that he will sell Harriet and her brothers to the chain gang. Harriet is devastated by the news and fears that she will not survive the journey south since her injuries cause her to suddenly fall asleep without warning. She prays for God to kill Brodas. Several days later, Harriet learns that Brodas is sick, and soon after, word spreads around the plantation that he has died from his illness. Harriet is frightened to think that her prayers killed him.

Chapter 8 Summary: “Minta Becomes Harriet”

When Harriet and the other enslaved people learn about Brodas’s death, they worry about what will happen to the plantation and their families. They are relieved that Brodas will prevent any of the slaves from being sold outside of Maryland. However, Harriet feels guilty and worried that her prayers caused Brodas’s death; she also knows that her rebellious actions had ruined her reputation as a “desirable slave” (70).

Harriet ponders the idea of running away but does not want to be separated from her parents and brothers. While her family is relieved that plantation life will apparently not change, Harriet resents that Brodas did not free the family as he had promised to and is wary of Doctor Thompson, the new administrator for the estate. Since Harriet had demonstrated great courage in defying the overseer and had a noticeable scar on her forehead, even elders in the quarter “listened to her opinions, deferred to her” (72). Her mother is uncomfortable with her “boldness” but acknowledges that Harriet is no longer a young girl. People stop using the nickname “Minty” (72) and instead call her Harriet. She continues to consider running away but feels especially vulnerable due to her injuries and penchant for fainting abruptly.

While Harriet is now well enough to work, her sleep is often disturbed by vivid dreams, and she continues to have headaches and abrupt sleepiness or trances. She and her father are assigned to work at a property owned by John Stewart, a local builder. Harriet hates the indoor cooking and cleaning work she must do and asks to work outside with her father instead, which Stewart allows. Stewart is impressed with Harriet’s work and allows her to find other paid work outside of his plantation. Once Harriet pays him $50-60 for the year, she can keep the rest of her earnings. Harriet worked hard plowing fields, driving oxen, and cutting wood, performing the same tasks expected of men. Her father continues to teach Harriet what he knows about surviving in nature, including identifying edible plants and moving stealthily through the forest undetected. While the outdoor work is extremely challenging, Harriet enjoys nature and her father’s company. Stewart is amazed by Harriet’s strength and makes her drag boats filled with stone in front of his guests, causing Harriet to feel like she is “little better than a trained animal, brought out for their amusement” (77).

At the end of the chapter, there is a historical note about how William Lloyd Garrison, the owner of an anti-slavery newspaper, The Liberator, had to be rescued from a mob of 2,000 men who wanted to hang him for his work. To keep Garrison safe from the crowd, the local mayor and constables had to put him in jail temporarily.

Chapters 7-8 Analysis

These chapters examine Tubman’s maturing personality and beliefs, showing how her longing for freedom develops over her adolescence. Tubman has a strong intuition and compassion for others. Her intuition and situational awareness lead her to follow the escaping slave and overseer: “She knew there was going to be trouble, she could tell when it was coming, by the peculiar fluttering in her heart. It was a warning signal […].” (62). In an act of extraordinary defiance, Harriet confronts the plantation overseer to help the other slave escape punishment. In doing so, Tubman earns the respect of the other enslaved people on the plantation, who defer to her as a wise adult rather than the youth she still is: The leader who will conduct slaves to safety is beginning to emerge. However, Tubman’s injury is devastating to her health and damages her reputation as a trustworthy slave, further endangering her. Even so, these problems do not extinguish Tubman’s desire to run away. As she matures and her situation evolves, Tubman is steadfast in her determination to be free. These stories help the reader picture a young Tubman as independent, intuitive, brave, caring, and confident.

Tubman’s close family relationships are highlighted in these passages. Once again, Old Rit helps her daughter survive by nursing her back to health, even though many speculated that Tubman would die. Without months of her mother’s attention, Tubman may not have survived. In Chapter 8, Tubman’s father also provides important help in the form of education. When working together in the woods, Ben takes the opportunity to teach Tubman everything he knows about the forest, including survivalist skills such as identifying edible and medicinal plants and pathfinding. He shows Harriet how to move quietly through the woods unnoticed, and while he never explicitly says how she would use this knowledge, Tubman understands that her father is trying to give her the skills she needs to run away successfully. This foreshadows how she will use these skills for her escape and as an Underground Railroad conductor. Despite often being separated from Harriot, her parents help her survive her childhood and become an accomplished person.

Petry also examines the family’s religious faith in these chapters. When Tubman is recovering from her injuries, Old Rit prays over her, asking God to heal her: “Old Rit hovered over her, a prayer on her lips. Not this child, she couldn’t lose this one” (63). Her prayer transcends time and place, echoing words that many a parent has uttered by an ill child’s bedside. Such a moment emphasizes how similar slave families were to free families, effectively diminishing the “otherness” that partly led to their enslavement. Here and elsewhere, Petry shows universal human experiences—parents teaching a child, praying for a sick family member, gathering as a community—that spark empathy and understanding in the reader. Tubman also prays when she is in need, uttering a desperate prayer asking for God to kill Brodas: “Kill him, Lord,” she prayed repeatedly. While such a desire may seem harsh, it is understandable given all Brodas has done to her, her family, and her fellow slaves. It is a raw moment of truth that adds authenticity to the narrative. In an equally authentic response, Tubman, a devout Christian, worries that her prayers may have killed Brodas when he dies suddenly from his illness. By including these details, Petry reveals both Tubman’s religiosity, her compassionate nature, and her determination to protect her family.