ChapterSummaries

9 ||= Isabel meets Lady Seymour, Mr. Lockton's old aunt. She is very rich, and the Locktons want to inherit some of her stuff. Anyways, Madam Lockton thinks Isabel is not a good enough name, so she decides to name her Sal instead. Later, Isabel serves food to some of Mr. Lockton's friends, and she overhears their plan to cause the American troops to desert. She also finds that Mr. Lockton has smuggled over money in Mrs. Lockton's walnut chest to bribe rebels to join the King. ||
 * Here are all of our Chapter Summaries from the book //Chains// by Laure Halse Anderson.
 * = Chapter Number ||= Chapter Summary ||
 * = Chapter 1 ||= In this chapter we meet the main character Isabel, and her sister Ruth. The book starts off after their old owner, Miss Finch, dies, and they are owned by Mr. Robert, Miss Finch's nephew. They are going to the burial of Miss Finch. ||
 * = Chapter 2 ||= In Miss Finch's will, it states that Isabel and Ruth are free, but Mr. Robert denies this. After a long argument, Isabel loses to Mr. Robert, and she is now his slave. At the end of the chapter, Isabel relives the moment when she and her family was first sold. ||
 * = Chapter 3 ||= Isabel and Ruth go to Newport, Rhode Island, where Mr. Robert tries to find a place to sell Isabel and Ruth. They stop at a tavern, where the Isabel and Ruth meet a long time friend of their mother, Jenny. Mr. Robert finds a customer, Elihu Lockton, who is interested in purchasing them. Jenny overhears Mr. Robert trying to sell Isabel and Ruth, she offers to buy them. However, Elihu Lockton raises his offer, and Isabel and Ruth are sold to Mr. Lockton. ||
 * = Chapter 4 ||= Isabel and Ruth are on their way to New York City, on the ship //Hartsborn//. Isabel thinks of her mother as she heads to New York, and she feels that she is now farther away from her mother. ||
 * = Chapter 5 ||= Isabel and Ruth came to New York on a trade ship that was owned by the Locktons, so when they get off, other trade cargo that was on the ship had to be unloaded. When Isabel got down to the docks two men came down the docks. One had a book and the other was a Mr. Bellingham. He ordered the soldiers to search the contents of the Lockton's crates. Mrs. Lockton had a walnut chest that she did not want searched. There was a argument between Mr. Bellingham, and the Locktons, but in the end she gets to take the chest, unsearched. Mr. Bellingham's slave Curzon, was told to help Isabel help get water for the Locktons. ||
 * = Chapter 6 ||= Cruzon takes Isabel to the Tea Water Pump where the rich people get their water from. Cruzon then stops to talk to Isabel about the loyalists and the rebels. He states that Lockton is a "dirty loyalist." He also asks Isabel if she would be willing to become a rebel spy for Bellingham. He then takes her to the Lockton's home. ||
 * = Chapter 7 ||= Cruzon takes Isabel to the house where the Lockton's live. When Isabel gets there she meets a house servant named Becky. She shows Isabel what has to be done at the house. Becky starts Isabel to work right away, but Isabel is worrying about Ruth and what might happen to her. ||
 * = Chapter 8 ||= Isabel has to do all the early morning chores at the Lockton house. She doesn't cook, but she cleans and starts the fire. One morning Mrs. Lockton called for Ruth, and Isabel soon discovers that Mrs. Lockton wants to use Ruth as her personal maid, which means Isabel won't see Ruth as much anymore. ||
 * = Chapter
 * = Chapter
 * = Chapter 10 ||= Isabel cleans up the kitchen, then heads to bed. There, she comforts Ruth because she is scared. During the night, Isabel wakes up to deliver the news of Mr. Lockton's plot to Curzon. She dodges past people and finally makes it to Curzon and tells him the news. ||
 * = Chapter 11 ||= Isabel is awoken to lots of chores. While she is working, some men enter the house to search it for the money Isabel saw. They do not find it but they do take Mr. Lockton under arrest for aiding the enemy. ||
 * = Chapter 12 ||= Isabel is sent to get Lady Seymour so Mrs. Lockton can hopefully get better. Isabel and Lady Seymour talk, and Lady Seymour is very polite despite that Isabel is a slave. ||
 * = Chapter 13 ||= Mr. Lockton comes home only to get into a fight with Madam. Later, Isabel meets Curzon at the Tea Water Pump and they talk for a while. ||
 * = Chapter 14 ||= Isabel goes to the market to collect eels for some eel pie. When she arrives back, she is ordered to serve food to Mr. Lockton again. There, she listens in on there conversation and learns of the British's top secret plan of action. ||
 * = Chapter 15 ||= Ruth has the falling sickness, so Madam thinks she is possessed. Once Madam is calmed down, she gets very unhappy with Ruth and doesn't want her in the house. ||
 * = Chapter 16 ||= During the night, Isabel steals the note Mr. Lockton wrote and delivers it to Col. Regan. She describes everything that happened to him. She hopes that by assisting the rebels, she might be able to gain her freedom. ||
 * = Chapter 17 ||= Mr. Lockton discovers that his plot has been revealed once again, so he decides to ship himself away. Madam gets very angry at him and they fight. He smacks Madam and she is forced to obey his rule. ||
 * = Chapter 18 ||= Ever since Mr. Lockton fled, Madam has been intoxicated. Isabel and Ruth attend the hanging of a traitor. ||
 * = Chapter 19 ||= Isabel and Ruth were in a loyalist church when a boy comes in telling everyone that the British were at the harbor. Mrs. Lockton was extremely happy. A bullet is accidentally fired and Ruth freezes up. ||
 * = Chapter 20 ||= The Continental Congress declared independence from Britain. The rebels take down the gold statue of the King only to find that it is made of lead. Later, Madam seems too nice to Ruth and gives Isabel the night off for no reason. ||
 * = Chapter 21 ||= Isabel has a dream about being lost and not knowing what to do. After she wakes up, she can't seem to find Ruth. She finds that Ruth has been sold away to the West Indies. Isabel becomes so frightened that she runs away to the rebel station. Madam finds her and asks for her to come back. Isabel tries to run, but she can't. ||
 * = Chapter 22 ||= When Isabel wakes up, she is in jail. She watches her court case go by without her consent on anything. She looses the court case and is ordered to be branded with the letter "I" on her face. ||
 * = Chapter 23 ||= Isabel finds herself in the stocks and awaits her punishment. She now has the letter "I" burned on her face. ||
 * = Chapter 24 ||= Isabel is in a confused state of mind. When she wakes up, she finds herself in Lady Seymour's house. Lady Seymour explains what happened and gives her a bath to sooth the pain. Isabel returns to the Lockton's house. ||
 * = Chapter 25 ||= Madam refuses to talk to Isabel and gives her jobs by telling a different slave to tell her her duties. Isabel becomes very depressed and talks with Curzon about pain in her life. ||
 * = Chapter 26 ||= A storm comes to New York . Most people have fled the city since the British came. Curzon claims to be an American soldier. Some slaves at the Tea Water Pump talk about freedom, but Isabel doesn't believe it could happen. ||
 * = Chapter 27 ||= Becky tells Isabel that the British are starting to lose the war. ||
 * = Chapter 28 ||= The British invade New York. Isabel walks to the market and back during the battle. ||
 * = Chapter 29 ||= Isabel runs to join the British. She feels that the only way to gain freedom is by joining the British. Isabel pleads with the officer, but she isn't accepted. Mr. Lockton arrives home now that the British are in control. ||
 * = Chapter 30 ||= When Isabel wakes up, New York is on fire. ||
 * = Chapter 31 ||= All of New York is on fire. Isabel drags Lady Seymour and her most valuable belongings out of her house. Isabel takes Lady Seymour to the Locktons' house. ||
 * = Chapter 32 ||= New York was badly damaged because of the fire. Lady Seymour is in a bad condition because of the fire. ||
 * = Chapter 33 ||= New York is all grey and ashy since the fire. Isabel's daily life gets harder as winter is coming. Curzon is put in jail. ||
 * = Chapter 34 ||= The Locktons have a big party because the British are winning. The guests share ideas on how to get a rid of the prisoners. Isabel thinks of an idea of how to help the prisoners. ||
 * = Chapter 35 ||= Isabel sneaks over to the prison and delivers food to Curzon. Curzon describes his battle with extreme detail. ||
 * = Chapter 36 ||= Isabel finds that Lady Seymour knows about her food deliveries to the prison. She finds that the shop keeper knows too. ||
 * = Chapter 37 ||= Isabel volunteers to go to the Tea Water Pump every morning. She does this because she actually wants an excuse to visit the prison daily. Isabel also makes sure that Curzon is getting enough food and warmth. ||
 * = Chapter 38 ||= Its Christmas morning, but it isn't any better for Isabel. Madam Lockton promises her a "day off", but it doesn't really happen. ||
 * = Chapter 39 ||= Isabel delivers a message of success to the prisoners and they all get a newfound hope. ||
 * = Chapter 40 ||= The Americans continue to win the war, and Sarah was her child. Lady Seymour talks with Isabel for a long time and tells Isabel about how much she cared about her. ||
 * = Chapter 41 ||= Madam Lockton prepares for the Queen's ball. Isabel thinks about freedom and how she could possibly achieve it. ||
 * = Chapter 42 ||= While everyone prepares for the Queen's ball, Isabel delivers messages for Captain Morse. ||
 * = Chapter 43 ||= Isabel becomes extremely frustrated about being a slave. She steals a map of the area and a pass to escape to freedom. ||
 * = Chapter 44 ||= Isabel "steals" Curzon away from the prison he was staying in. ||
 * = Chapter 45 ||= Isabel escapes to freedom with Curzon on a rowboat. ||