The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd

Usually, I am use to reading novels that happen during the Civil War or after the Civil War like the days of Reconstruction. It is rare that I've read about the slaves during the earlier days of the Nineteenth Century. The time when slaves had no idea that the word freedom existed unless they could remember their lives on the shores of Africa. Of course, the trip from Africa was so filthy and cruel, it is hard to believe that they could remember Africa at all. Once here slaves only knew they could be bought and sold like a mule or horse or a barn on the master's and mistress's property. So the title of Sue Monk Kidd's novel "The Invention of Wings" became a bright light to where she would lead me in her book. Although it is a time of bondage, reconciled by the White man through the Divine Word, it is also a time when slaves gave their health, their lives to catch a glimpse of what the White man kept for himself, freedom. The word invention was my road sign all the way through the novel.

Sarah Grimke, a woman who would become a famous abolitionist, always hated slavery. She would invent ways to teach Handful how to write and read.  After she could no longer teach Handful, Handful would go on beyond what she had been taught. This enabled her to read and write letters and read books and help in an almost successful slave insurrection. The slave holders hated the idea of slaves ever being educated. This is why Handful had to slip and write and read books. A creative spirit nudged the slaves like Handful to reach out and up knowing the world was much brighter when you were allowed to make your personal decisions.

For Charlotte, the mother of Handful, freedom becomes a reality every time she pieces a red and black triangle for her quilt. The triangle patch looks like wings. Being able to make her life decisions by herself and not commanded by another human being will become a reality to her every time she pieces and patches and cuts wagons and hammers to applique on the quilt. The quilt tells her whole life story, and it is created by her hands. The quilt will tell the story of a W being branded on her shoulder because she belonged to a man named Wilcox. The hammer would tell the sad story of her teeth being hammered out while enslaved by this same family. That inventive spirit would not allow Charlotte to keep her stories to herself. That inventive spirit would lead her to name her next daughter, Sky. When I think of sky, I think of plenty of freedom. No one to stop me from singing at the top of my voice or just laughing so loud the birds fly farther away hoping I will follow them.

There is also the African folklore tale told about Africans having wings to fly. In other words, flying is so magical that if you do not have wings you ought to invent some by whatever way possible. All of these examples prove that the love of freedom, the desire to be free is a part of maankind's birthright. We're born with the need to gain wings. The slaves did it everyday.  Soon, Handful becomes the owner of a cane. The top of the cane is gold shaped like a rabbit's head. Often Handful walks with the cane and rubs the rabbit head over and over. I feel Handful is thinking of hopping fast and slyly away from the streets of Charleston to a place where she can fly freely. A place where she will never see another man, like Denmark Vesey,special/blackhistory/bio_denmark_vesey from a tree until he dropped because he desired freedom too.

Telling the story about the slaves is not complete without writing about the abolitionists. Sue Monk Kidd focuses on two famous women who would become Quakers. There names are Sarah Grimke and her sister, Angelina Grimkehistoryswomen.com/socialreformer/grimke. When Sarah is given Handful by her mother, Sarah's first thought is about manumission. God forbid, it was like she had spoken a curse word to speak the word manumission. The feeling that Handful and all slaves should be freed immediately never left Sarah's thoughts. The same thoughts would guide her sister's mind. Perhaps, Sarah understood the desire and need for freedom because her voice was almost paralyzed much of her life. When she would spit out a word or two, it was a miracle. Who knew she would become a Quaker public speaker fighting with words for the justice of the slaves and later adding the equality of women as a rightful cause? Yes, Sarah and Angelina had to reinvent themselves as well in order to experience freedom themselves and help gain it for the slaves.

The whole novel is about creativity leading to freedom. Creativity and freedom are a part of the human spirit. Man might steal our freedom, but he can not kill the mindset that wants "The Invention of Wings.http://suemonkkidd.com/