Harriet's Daughter
Author : MARLENE NOURBESE PHILIP
Genre :
Themes : Family Relationship, Friendship, Love, Freedom, Attitude to Authority and Power, women in Society
Point of View : First Person Perspective
Setting:
Protagonists: Margaret Cruickshank
Antagonist:
Summery: Harriet’s Daughter is about the life of a little girl called Margaret. She is a first generation Canadian of Bajan descent. The story is built around the railway game in which Margaret, who insists on being called Harriet, leads a team in taking slaves to ‘freedom’. ‘Freedom’, as well as safe houses, are designated places that the group can meet to ‘rest’ while they wait out the dogs and their pursuers. This game forms the overarching action of the novel, but outside of that, it is a story about relationships. It tells of the complicated relationship between Margaret and her parents, the relationship between the parents themselves, Margaret and her siblings, Margaret and her two best friends, and Margaret and Mrs. Billings. There is also an overarching theme of freedom from oppression. We have Zulma, who wants to return to Trinidad, thereby escaping the abusive situation in her household and Margaret, who also wants to escape what she perceives as the tyranny of her father. There is also the example of Mrs. Blewchamp, who escaped the Jewish holocaust, Mrs. Billings, who escapes an abusive situation, and Harriet Tubman herself, who represents the ultimate escape artist.
Characters:
Margaret Cruickshank
Zulma
Mrs. Bertha Billings
Harriet Blewchamp
Vashtina Cruickshank (Tina)
Cuthbert Cruickshank
Ti-Cush
Jo-Ann Cruickshank
Jonathan Cruickshank
Chapter Summaries
Chapter 1
The chapter opens with the children playing the Underground Railway Game. We then get a flashback of when Zulma and Margaret meet for the first time. Margaret and Ti-Cush spot a crowd on the playground and discover Zulma crying. Margaret takes Zulma away from the crowd and enquires about what is wrong with her. She learns that Zulma is homesick for Tobago. She cheers her up by enticing her into a game of making snow angels.
Chapter 2
We learn that Ti-Cush is jealous of the time that Margaret and Zulma spend together. The scene then switches to Margaret being called into the principal's office to assist in calming Zulma, as well as discovering the source of her crying. We learn that, once again, Zulma has succumbed to homesickness. It is at this point that Margaret promises to get Zulma back home to Tobago. The chapter closes with the girls having fun teaching [Zulma] and learning [Margaret] 'Tobago-talk', as well as curse words.
Chapter 3
This chapter gives us insight into Vashtina and Cuthbert Cruickshank's life, as seen through the eyes of Margaret. She uses one word each to describe her parents; Tina is neurotic, while Cuthbert is a male chauvinist pig. Her mother shops excessively and her father exerts power and authority over every member of his household. Margaret strongly believes that her father is a phony because he wants his wife to forget about the Caribbean and its customs, yet he regularly plays dominoes with his Caribbean friends.
Chapter 4
We learn that Zulma does not live in an ideal family situation. Her stepfather dislikes and overworks her, and her mother is afraid of him, and as a result of this, Zulma disparately wants to go back to Tobago.to live with her gran. Margaret then has a conversation with her mother about utilizing her baby bonus money, as well as her inheritance from Margaret Blewchamp, to help Zulma to return to Tobago. The chapter ends with her being very upset with her mother for denying her access to the baby bonus money that would have gotten Zulma a plane ticket home.
Chapter 5
This is the chapter in which the reader discovers Margaret's list. She has a list of things that she wants to change in her life,, and another that outlines how she plans to achieve her goals. This is the point at which she starts to contemplate changing her name, so Ti-Cush and Zulma accompany her to research famous women, as well as to work on her school project. Ti-Cush gets annoyed with Zulma for a moment, but gets past it. The girls have a pleasant time at the library.
Chapter 6
Margaret was very late for supper. This happened because she was late leaving the library and was tired of being afraid of her father. therefore, she decided to stop at McDonald's for a chocolate milkshake because she was already in trouble. She received a lecture from her father, which she blocked out, and was grounded for a week. Margaret then got into a quarrel with her mother over washing the dishes and subsequently spent the evening in her room reading about Harriet Tubman and Mata Hari.
Chapter 7
Margaret had the first of many dreams about Harriet Tubman that night. Upon awakening, her mother instructs her to get dressed for church. She goes downstairs, dressed inappropriately, and her mother forces her to go upstairs to put on a dress. We learn that her parents do not actually attend church themselves, but consistently send their children. At dinner that day she upsets her sister by wishing that she gain fifty pounds. She then asks her mother to help her with a project on Rasta and reggae music. Her father reacts badly to this, she 'faysties' (reacts impertinently) herself with him and is threatened with being sent to Barbados to receive 'good West Indian discipline'.
Chapter 8
Margaret tells her mother that her school is accepting part time teachers at her school. Her mother gets the job, but discovers that Margaret had an ulterior motive in finding her the job in the first place. Margaret actually wants her mother to give her half of her salary to fund Zulma's trip back to Tobago, her mother refuses. This negative news is offset, however, by the positive response of her friends regarding calling her Harriet. This chapter highlights Margaret's second dream about Harriet Tubman, the result of which is a series of very creative codes for her underground railway game, as well as a fervent need to change her name to Harriet. It is during a conversation with her mom, regarding her desire for a name change, that Margaret learns about her mother's hatred of her own name. Vashtina agreed to call her daughter Harriet and this chapter ends with her going on an errand to get her father from the Billings' house.
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Author : MARLENE NOURBESE PHILIP
Genre :
Themes : Family Relationship, Friendship, Love, Freedom, Attitude to Authority and Power, women in Society
Point of View : First Person Perspective
Setting:
- The story is mainly set in Toronto, Canada
- It is also set in Tobago
- The time frame of the story is the 1980's
Protagonists: Margaret Cruickshank
Antagonist:
Summery: Harriet’s Daughter is about the life of a little girl called Margaret. She is a first generation Canadian of Bajan descent. The story is built around the railway game in which Margaret, who insists on being called Harriet, leads a team in taking slaves to ‘freedom’. ‘Freedom’, as well as safe houses, are designated places that the group can meet to ‘rest’ while they wait out the dogs and their pursuers. This game forms the overarching action of the novel, but outside of that, it is a story about relationships. It tells of the complicated relationship between Margaret and her parents, the relationship between the parents themselves, Margaret and her siblings, Margaret and her two best friends, and Margaret and Mrs. Billings. There is also an overarching theme of freedom from oppression. We have Zulma, who wants to return to Trinidad, thereby escaping the abusive situation in her household and Margaret, who also wants to escape what she perceives as the tyranny of her father. There is also the example of Mrs. Blewchamp, who escaped the Jewish holocaust, Mrs. Billings, who escapes an abusive situation, and Harriet Tubman herself, who represents the ultimate escape artist.
Characters:
Margaret Cruickshank
- Fourteen years old
- Lives in Canada with her parents and two siblings
- Initially has a best friend called Ti-Cush, but replaces her with Zulma
- Obsessed with Harriet Tubman and wants to be called Margaret
- Thinks her father is overpowering and seems to dislike him
- Wants to help Zulma to go back to gran in Trinidad
- Founder of the underground railway game
- Promises to get Zulma back to Tobago
Zulma
- Fourteen years old and Margaret’s best friend
- Migrated to Canada from Tobago
- Misses her gran and wants to return home
- Her mom is in an abusive relationship
Mrs. Bertha Billings
- Wife of Mr. Billings, Cuthbert’s domino partner
- Zulma and Margaret confide in her
- She is a comforting figure for them, always feeding them cookies
- She escaped from an abusive relationship
- Originally from the United States
Harriet Blewchamp
- Tina’s former employer (deceased)
- Loved all of Tina’s children, but her love for Margaret was exceptional
- Mom wanted to name Margaret after her
- Left money for Margaret in her will
- She escaped from the concentration camps
Vashtina Cruickshank (Tina)
- Margaret’s mother
- Liked to be called Tina because associates her name with hard work
- Initially worked as caregiver for Mrs.Blewchamp when they first went to Canada
- Initially did not work, at her husband’s request, but gets a part-time job by the middle of the book
- Has a good relationship with Margaret, but a better one with Jo-Ann, from Margaret’s perspective
- Supportive of Margaret’s informal name change to Harriet
Cuthbert Cruickshank
- Margaret's father
- Obsessed with Barbados and wants to return
- He simultaneously rejects all things Caribbean while also embracing it
- Obsessed with discipline and education
- Does not have a good relationship with Margaret
- Does not want his wife to work
- Wants good things for his family, but does not communicate well with them
Ti-Cush
- Best friend of Margaret
- She organizes the game with Zulma and Margaret
- Gets jealous of the blooming relationship between Zulma and Margaret
Jo-Ann Cruickshank
- Margaret's sister
- Margaret believes that her parents favour Jo-Ann
- She refers to her sister as 'Slobo Jo-Ann' because she has weight issues
Jonathan Cruickshank
- Margaret's brother
- Margaret believes that he can do no wrong in their parents' eyes
- She believes that he is treated better than both her and her sister on the basis of being male
- She refers to him as the 'Rib Roast Prime Minister'
Chapter Summaries
Chapter 1
The chapter opens with the children playing the Underground Railway Game. We then get a flashback of when Zulma and Margaret meet for the first time. Margaret and Ti-Cush spot a crowd on the playground and discover Zulma crying. Margaret takes Zulma away from the crowd and enquires about what is wrong with her. She learns that Zulma is homesick for Tobago. She cheers her up by enticing her into a game of making snow angels.
Chapter 2
We learn that Ti-Cush is jealous of the time that Margaret and Zulma spend together. The scene then switches to Margaret being called into the principal's office to assist in calming Zulma, as well as discovering the source of her crying. We learn that, once again, Zulma has succumbed to homesickness. It is at this point that Margaret promises to get Zulma back home to Tobago. The chapter closes with the girls having fun teaching [Zulma] and learning [Margaret] 'Tobago-talk', as well as curse words.
Chapter 3
This chapter gives us insight into Vashtina and Cuthbert Cruickshank's life, as seen through the eyes of Margaret. She uses one word each to describe her parents; Tina is neurotic, while Cuthbert is a male chauvinist pig. Her mother shops excessively and her father exerts power and authority over every member of his household. Margaret strongly believes that her father is a phony because he wants his wife to forget about the Caribbean and its customs, yet he regularly plays dominoes with his Caribbean friends.
Chapter 4
We learn that Zulma does not live in an ideal family situation. Her stepfather dislikes and overworks her, and her mother is afraid of him, and as a result of this, Zulma disparately wants to go back to Tobago.to live with her gran. Margaret then has a conversation with her mother about utilizing her baby bonus money, as well as her inheritance from Margaret Blewchamp, to help Zulma to return to Tobago. The chapter ends with her being very upset with her mother for denying her access to the baby bonus money that would have gotten Zulma a plane ticket home.
Chapter 5
This is the chapter in which the reader discovers Margaret's list. She has a list of things that she wants to change in her life,, and another that outlines how she plans to achieve her goals. This is the point at which she starts to contemplate changing her name, so Ti-Cush and Zulma accompany her to research famous women, as well as to work on her school project. Ti-Cush gets annoyed with Zulma for a moment, but gets past it. The girls have a pleasant time at the library.
Chapter 6
Margaret was very late for supper. This happened because she was late leaving the library and was tired of being afraid of her father. therefore, she decided to stop at McDonald's for a chocolate milkshake because she was already in trouble. She received a lecture from her father, which she blocked out, and was grounded for a week. Margaret then got into a quarrel with her mother over washing the dishes and subsequently spent the evening in her room reading about Harriet Tubman and Mata Hari.
Chapter 7
Margaret had the first of many dreams about Harriet Tubman that night. Upon awakening, her mother instructs her to get dressed for church. She goes downstairs, dressed inappropriately, and her mother forces her to go upstairs to put on a dress. We learn that her parents do not actually attend church themselves, but consistently send their children. At dinner that day she upsets her sister by wishing that she gain fifty pounds. She then asks her mother to help her with a project on Rasta and reggae music. Her father reacts badly to this, she 'faysties' (reacts impertinently) herself with him and is threatened with being sent to Barbados to receive 'good West Indian discipline'.
Chapter 8
Margaret tells her mother that her school is accepting part time teachers at her school. Her mother gets the job, but discovers that Margaret had an ulterior motive in finding her the job in the first place. Margaret actually wants her mother to give her half of her salary to fund Zulma's trip back to Tobago, her mother refuses. This negative news is offset, however, by the positive response of her friends regarding calling her Harriet. This chapter highlights Margaret's second dream about Harriet Tubman, the result of which is a series of very creative codes for her underground railway game, as well as a fervent need to change her name to Harriet. It is during a conversation with her mom, regarding her desire for a name change, that Margaret learns about her mother's hatred of her own name. Vashtina agreed to call her daughter Harriet and this chapter ends with her going on an errand to get her father from the Billings' house.
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