Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl: Chapter 29 Summary & Analysis

All in all, Linda spends seven years in the miserable garret, all the time dreaming of escape, worrying about recapture, and longing for her children. After Ellen leaves, she becomes especially impatient and distressed. Moreover, in the stormy weather she and her bedding are frequently soaked with water. However, whenever she mentions the possibility of escape to Grandmother, the old woman becomes worried and upset.

Meanwhile, Linda has recently found out that an acquaintance, Fanny, run away in order to avoid being sold, and is hiding with her mother Aggie next door. Benny happened to catch a glimpse of her and told Grandmother, who warned him never to speak of it again, and he has kept the secret well.

One night, Peter arrives at the house and tells Linda that he’s found a way for her to escape to the North on a ship. She has two weeks to decide what to do. Uncle Phillip urges her to go and even talks Grandmother into the plan. Linda gets ready for the journey and promises that once she arrives in the North, she will write Dr. Flint asking to be sold to Grandmother. The old woman wants to die knowing that her granddaughter is legally free; privately, Linda resolves not to pay any money for the freedom to which she’s entitled.

Just before the intended departure, the ship on which Linda is supposed to escape is detained for several days. At the same time, a recaptured fugitive slave is killed gruesomely (this is James, whose case Linda =described earlier). Frightened, Grandmother persuades Linda not to go. She tells Peter to give the spot on the ship to Fanny instead, and he approaches Aggie without letting her know that Linda is still hiding in the area.

Once Fanny is aboard the ship the weather turns bad and it stays docked for several days, to everyone’s consternation. On the third day Grandmother calls Linda out of the attic; she’s panicking about the likelihood of Fanny being discovered, and Linda has to calm her down. Just then, the housemaid Jenny appears, ostensibly looking to buy some crackers from Grandmother. It’s unclear if she’s actually spotted Linda, but they have to act as if she has.

Uncle Phillip says that Linda must get on the boat with Fanny. Informed about the emergency, Peter rushes to the wharf and finds the ship setting off; he rushes aboard and tells the captain that he needs to bring another woman on the ship. After some confusion and a bribe, the captain agrees to wait until Linda arrives that night.

Linda passes the day in anxiety, hoping that Jenny doesn’t have time to go to the Flints before she leaves. She asks for Benny to be brought to the shed and he confesses that he’s always suspected she was hiding there and knew for sure once she spent the night with Ellen. He’s always tried to keep children from playing too near the shed and kept watch for Dr. Flint. Linda is amazed and proud of his intelligence and maturity.

Linda explains that she is going north and that if Benny is good, God will reunite them soon. As they are embracing, Grandmother comes in, bringing some money for Linda to take with her. She takes Linda’s hand and the family kneels to pray, holding one another. Linda has never felt so earnest and trusting in her prayers. All too soon, she departs with Peter, leaving home forever.