Love

For white people, love is a privilege. They are free to love whoever they choose in the white race and they have the freedom to marry and start families. The slaves do not have the same abilities as the white people do. Linda meets a free black man who she falls in love with. He offers to buy her from Dr. Flint so they can marry and be happy together. But Linda is property of Dr. Flint’s daughter, and he lies and uses this as en excuse to not sell her because he does not want to give Linda up. If Linda wants to have the chance to be in love, there are many conditions put on her. Dr. Flint tells her that if she wants to get married to someone, it has to be with another one of his slaves. The women slaves that have babies are just bringing more slaves into the slave owner’s hands. Love isn’t a right for those in bondage. They don’t ever have the chance to have proper and beautiful weddings. Slaves don’t get to have any sort of flowery love. They are not allowed to be happy. On the other hand, because of the tyranny of the slave masters and society itself, the love between slave families is very strong. Later in the book, Linda had the chance for freedom, but she could not bring herself to leave her family and children as easily as Benjamin did. Although her desire for freedom is so strong, the love for her family is stronger considering she would not be able to leave them behind even if it means getting out of slavery.