A Girl Called Samson

“I thought nothing could be worse than the small, painful existence I was living. I also feared the war would end, and I would miss my only shot at deliverance. As it turned out, I saw all the bloodshed I could bear. […] If I’d known, I might have avoided it all, the pain in my leg and the price of independence—my own and that of my country. But then I wouldn’t have met him. And I wouldn’t have come to truly know myself.”

The prologue explains that Samson’s motivation for joining the war stems from her desperation to escape her “small, painful existence” as an indentured servant and a young woman in colonial Massachusetts. This passage touches on some of the novel’s major themes. For example, the young Samson’s belief that joining the army is her “only shot at deliverance” connects to The Struggle for Gender Equality and Personal Freedom, and her observations that she “wouldn’t have come to truly know [her]self” if she hadn’t enlisted connects to the theme of war’s impact on individual identity. In addition, the important male figure alluded to in the penultimate sentence foreshadows her relationship with John Paterson.

“I did not civilize the boys. It might even be said that they radicalized me.”

Mrs. Thomas’s hope that the 10-year-old Deborah will help to civilize her 10 sons reflects society’s restrictive gender roles. The protagonist changes significantly during her time with the Thomas family, and as her observation that the boys “radicalized” her implies, she becomes more outspoken and strong-willed. Thus, her experiences with the Thomas sons show her that she can interact with the novel’s male characters on an equal footing and even surpass them in categories like speed, stamina, and willpower.