An important theme in The Underground Railroad is the landscape in which the plot unfolds, as well as the land itself. A refuge for runaways and free blacks alike, the farm offers comfort and a place to live to anyone needing it. Thus in the novel, land offers both the promise of redemption as well provides a canvass on which the horrors of slavery are projected. Cora's preoccupation with the often-troubled connection between a mother and daughter reveals the importance of the connection between generations in the text. Most, however, are nauseatingly violent. In opposition to the notion of community is Cora's status as a "stray."

The white population in that state, terrified of revolt from the slave population, have embarked on a genocidal program to eliminate slaves from state borders. One hand, therefore, the conclusion of the novel confirms Cora's status as a stray, a person outside the ties of family or community. It is this slave labor, as well, that is the driver behind the profits of white America. The town where Cora and Caesar land is shaped by the government program they are subject to: dormitories where they are watched by white proctors; emporiums where they must go into debt in order to buy proper clothing; a saloon where they are given the opportunity to socialize. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. The entire system of slavery and white supremacy is designed to make black people believe that they have no hope of rebellion, for example by making it illegal for enslaved people to learn to read and write. More than a concrete system of human and profit relations, slavery in the Underground Railroad is also a metaphor for the symbolic chains that limit human beings, even the white characters in the novel. The Underground Railroad Themes Freedom vs. Slavery. Similarly, Ridgeway decides to kill the captured slave Jasper because he calculates that it will be more financially profitable…, The Underground Railroad depicts the full spectrum of brutality and violation that defined the institution of slavery. Thus everyone on the farm is united by necessity. resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel. Struggling with distance learning? Indeed, slavery is depicted as the engine of America in the novel. Value, Ownership, and Commodification.

The organised attempt to return African Americans to Africa or to settle them in another part of the world outside America. The story even concludes with the promise of fresh land, perhaps untainted by slavery, as Cora makes her way west. On the Randall plantation, for example, the cotton fields define the parameters of the lives of slaves. Brutality creates fear, and fear is used by slave owners as a means of control. Newspaper and poster advertisements placed by slaveholders offering rewards for the capture and return of runaway slaves. But Cora's dreams also reveal a deep affinity for children and a mother-daughter connection. Yet that partnership, too, comes to an abrupt end when Royal is killed. In many ways, Cora's story is driven by the story of her mother, Mabel, and before that, Mabel's mother, Ajarry. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead. The white town in North Carolina where Cora hides for months is a community, too; but it is one united by fear. This goal unites them, but it also causes them to turn on each other, creating an atmosphere where petty grievances and jealousies manifest as false accusations and then lynchings. https://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/~/media/ArtsEdge/LessonPrintables/grade-3-4/harriet_tubman_codes_and_phrases_used_on_the_underground_railroad.ashx.
The Underground Railroad explores the tension between the individual and community. By rejecting absolute realism…, Instant downloads of all 1360 LitChart PDFs Violence is such a large part of ordinary life in the world of the novel that Cora and the other characters are unsurprised by even the most sadistic and gruesome events, such as Big Anthony’s punishment after he is caught attempting to run away.

Indeed, the novel turns a deeply critical eye to the ideas of progress embedded in America. For example, Terrance Randall’s sadistic personality and cruel, lecherous behavior toward Cora is linked with his desire to make Randall plantation as efficient and profitable as possible. The inversion of the real and the unreal, and the concrete and the abstract, is another important theme. It functions as a kind of limbo between slavery and freedom. In the novel, work is depicted as an essential aspect of life that has the potential to be either oppressive or pleasurable, depending on its context. Cora's story is intimately connected with Mabel's: both her decision to escape and her misfortune in being relentlessly pursued by Ridgeway, who resents the fact that her mother got away from him years before. Looking down from the roof one evening, Cora reflects on the new construction. The Underground Railroad essays are academic essays for citation. Cora travels through a few distinct landscapes over the course of the novel, each symbolizing different aspects of the story. Cora's mother dies in the swamp, swallowed up by the in-between.
Thus slave labor is essential to the functioning of the nation itself.

Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. Originally defined as ‘the strip of land between northern and southern states’ now extended to include the... Church. Indeed, on Valentine, Cora admires and envies the loving connection between Sybil and her daughter Molly. In addition, the Griffin Building on Main Street, a skyscraper filled with government and private sector offices, looms over the town's black population to suggest South Carolina's authoritarian, hierarchical character. Meanwhile, other enslaved…, Throughout the book, the narrator emphasizes that slavery is an economic system, and that the social and moral behavior of the white characters is fundamentally governed by economic interests. At the same time, Whitehead is careful to show that Cora and other black…, The Underground Railroad is a historical novel, and much of what takes place is an accurate representation of what life in mid-19th century America was really like. The novel juxtaposes differing accounts of progress. Slaves and free people alike lay claim to land. Not affiliated with Harvard College. Indeed, Cora's freedom is interrupted again and again by Ridgeway's efforts to drag her back into the slavery. Readers are left with a sense of optimism—it seems likely that Cora will find and maintain her freedom on the frontier—but there are no guarantees. The Underground Railroad study guide contains a biography of Colson Whitehead, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. However, Cora notes that even those who would never consider running away still dream of freedom: “Every dream a dream of escape.” Although enslaved people may not be able to consciously imagine freedom, they seek freedom in their unconsciousness. Perhaps the most central theme in The Underground Railroad, freedom is the goal that motivates the protagonist, Cora. This lineage of freedom between mother and daughter is…, All the black characters in the novel—whether enslaved or free—must constantly navigate an impossible choice between enduring the brutality of slavery and racism or risking everything in a (likely doomed) attempt to rebel. Ridgeway believes in Manifest Destiny, a deadly axis of profit, ownership, and expansion that is the fate of white America. Work songs help slaves keep their spirits up. She grows close to Caesar but ends up alone again. Why or Why Not? Innovations in technology, such as the cotton gin, lead to bigger cotton yields and promise larger profits if the numbers of slaves increase. Cora is the protagonist of The Underground Railroad. First, many different kinds of communities are depicted throughout the novel.