- State of Georgia Flag: Cora started off in Georgia on a plantation. Plantation life was a life made up of forced labor, beatings, slave catchers and rape. Cora is divided on the plantation, but shows her courage by standing up to a slave owner while beating another slave. Caesar is impressed by her courage and ask Cora to escape with him. Whitehead shows the state of slavery in Georgia and how horrific the conditions of slavery. This is the one of the example that Whitehead shows of Discrimination, Injustice, and Racism that African-Americans have/had to deal with in America since the beginning of their arrival.
North Carolina State Flag:
Cora ends up in North Carolina, where they had just abolished slavery. Even though they had outlawed slavery, North Carolina still did not want runaway slaves coming to their state. Runaways who where found in North Carolina would be killed execution style. Runaways feared for their lives if they ended up in North Carolina. Cora meets Martin, and is forced to hide is his attic because the fear of getting caught. She stays in the attic for months, until a raid happens in Martin's house and Cora is caught by Ridgeway. Whitehead illustrates in this chapter, that even when Cora is in a state that does not have slavery, that some White's still find a way to oppress not only her but all black people. Also, blacks are not free in North Carolina b/c they have to worry about being murdered or being sent back to slavery. They constantly have to worry and watch their every move, which is not freedom.
Cora ends up in North Carolina, where they had just abolished slavery. Even though they had outlawed slavery, North Carolina still did not want runaway slaves coming to their state. Runaways who where found in North Carolina would be killed execution style. Runaways feared for their lives if they ended up in North Carolina. Cora meets Martin, and is forced to hide is his attic because the fear of getting caught. She stays in the attic for months, until a raid happens in Martin's house and Cora is caught by Ridgeway. Whitehead illustrates in this chapter, that even when Cora is in a state that does not have slavery, that some White's still find a way to oppress not only her but all black people. Also, blacks are not free in North Carolina b/c they have to worry about being murdered or being sent back to slavery. They constantly have to worry and watch their every move, which is not freedom.
After getting caught in the raid, Cora is on her way back to Georgia and some runaway slaves attack Ridgeway's party. They help Cora escape and she ends up on a farm in Indiana. Indiana is represented in the book as the "freedom state" and in a sense it seems like she is finally free. She meets a man named Royal who runs the farm that gives runaway slaves a place to stay and protection. Royal and Cora began a romantic relationship, but some free men fear that their freedom is at risk. Eventually, a raid happens at the farm and once again Cora is caught by Ridgeway. The novels ends by Cora pushing Ridgeway down a flight of stairs and she gets in a wagon and drives off. Whitehead illustrates the fear that those African-Americans faced on the farm of losing their freedom. They are scared of loosing the "freedom" that they have, so they sell-out someone of their own race. Which is the main point that Whitehead is alluding to. Even though, these African Americans think they are free, they are not. They will always have to worry about the pressure of being capture and taken back to slavery or dealing with the discrimination and injustice of being a minority.