A Girl Called Samson

“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. This self-knowledge gives her confidence and strengthens her resolve to become a soldier.

“I told the boys I could beat them all, maybe even Phineas, who is very fast, if I were allowed to race without my skirts hampering me. They have taken my challenge and presented me with a very worn pair of breeches that fit me quite well and a shirt to go with them. I can run so swiftly in them that I am convinced they are magic.”

Samson’s first time wearing clothing designed for men represents an important turning point in the novel’s plot. Throughout the narrative, clothes serve as a motif of The Struggle for Gender Equality and Personal Freedom, and in this context, the act of running symbolizes freedom itself. As the results of the race illustrate, Samson outperforms boys when the literal and symbolic encumbrances of the gendered skirts are removed and the playing field is leveled. This passage also appears in Samson’s first letter to Elizabeth Paterson, who becomes one of her most cherished friends even though the two women never meet in person.

“June 23, 1777. Dear Miss Samson, It is not for the man who has everything and wants more that we fight, but for the man who has nothing. In no place on earth can a man or woman who is born into certain circumstances ever hope to truly escape them. Our lots are cast from the moment we inhabit our mothers’ wombs, from the moment we draw breath. But perhaps that can change here, in this land.”

This letter from John Paterson arrives on Samson’s 18th birthday, the day she is officially released from her indentured servitude. The timing of the letter and the brigadier general’s hope that the newborn nation can become a place where people escape the circumstances of their birth advances the theme of the struggle for personal freedom. Paterson’s words inspire Samson to strive to change her circumstances rather than accepting the limits that society would place on her because of her sex and class. She memorizes the letter and later recites it to Paterson himself when she tries to convince him to let her stay in the army after he discovers her secret.

“There is a clarity that comes when one surveys the years gone by from a perch of experience and age. Death, disappointment, and a wealth of desperation had backed me up to the cliff’s edge. I can see that now, even as I marvel that I jumped. I pulled out the breeches and the shirt that one of the boys had discarded and none of the others had claimed. They weren’t the same pair that made me fleet of foot and free as the wind. They weren’t magic. I’d outgrown those.”

Harmon captures the moment in which the protagonist resolves to disguise herself as a man and enlist in the army. The author uses an extended metaphor to liken this decision to leaping from a cliff. Samson’s decision to take this plunge is precipitated by the alliterative woes of “[d]eath, disappointment, and a wealth of desperation.” She has despaired at the loss of Reverend Conant and several Thomas brothers, and Elizabeth’s death is the final straw. Samson’s efforts to change her circumstances compel her to don men’s attire, further strengthening the connection between clothing and the theme of freedom.

“I have so much to tell you, though I wonder if you already know. I like to think you are following along, an angel on my shoulder. I am alone, but I’m not lonesome. My heart is too full of hope for sadness. It’s like nothing I’ve felt before, and as Solomon says, my desire is a tree of life. I’ve nothing to do but walk, and my mind is strangely quiet, my restlessness appeased. People have been kind. They think me too young, but no one has stopped me, and I am seized by continual wonder in this new adventure. —RS”

The 21-year-old Samson’s diary entry is addressed to the departed Elizabeth and illustrates how the protagonist’s emotional state improves markedly once she leaves her life in Middleborough behind. There is a youthful, fragile innocence to Samson’s “continual wonder” and her heart “full of hope” because she has not yet experienced war or taken a human life.

“I told Elizabeth of my triumph in an entry dated April 20, 1781. I am a private in the Fourth Massachusetts Regiment. Not only did they take me, they have assigned me to a company of light infantrymen under Captain George Webb. The light infantry are those able to advance quickly, and I wish I could tell the brothers that this proves, once and for all, that I am truly one of the swiftest. Three years or the end of the war. That is what I agreed to.”

Samson’s enlistment represents a major victory in The Struggle for Gender Equality and Personal Freedom. This action also demonstrates her courage and resilience because she persists even after her initial attempt to enlist fails disastrously and she is threatened with time in prison. The short, sharp sentences in this passage also emphasize the strength of her resolve.

“I kept up during the march, led them in drills, and handled my weapon with as much speed and accuracy as anyone else in my company, and they stopped seeing the parts of me that might have made them wonder before. I was accepted as a man because for me to be a woman was unfathomable.”

Ironically, the soldiers’ limited views of women’s capabilities help Samson to escape detection even as she disproves many misogynistic stereotypes; it is “unfathomable” to the men that a woman could match or exceed them in “speed and accuracy.” Samson repeatedly stresses that it is imperative for her to blend in during her time in the army, but her uncompromising commitment to excellence and hard work draws the attention of her fellow infantrymen as well as her commanding officers.

“I could hear and smell and see and feel, but none of it was real. It’s a game. It’s just like a game. Jeremiah had played with little toy soldiers made with lead or wood and carefully covered in paint. He’d knocked them down with clods of earth or a swath of his hands, like God on high. The second man I killed slid boneless to the ground, just like the first, and I put my hatchet back on my belt, as unfeeling as a child at play.”

Harmon vividly imagines Samson’s first experiences with taking human lives in battle. In this moment, Samson embraces the illusion that her actions are part of a “game” in order to shield herself from processing the horrors around her, and although her senses permit her to “smell and see and feel,” she reconfigures the gory scene as a child’s games with toy soldiers. This contrast adds to the passage’s emotional impact and gives insight into Samson’s mental state during these violent and traumatic events.

“That such horror can be beautiful is hard to imagine, but it was. Light and sound collided against the firmament like shooting stars and swooping dragons with flaming breath and fiery tails. Perhaps it was the quaking of both earth and sky and the contrast of being more alive and nearer to death than I had ever been. I was living the Book of Revelation, and I could not avert my eyes.”

In addition to the hushed tone of wonder in this passage, the author also utilizes a variety of literary techniques to depict the Battle of Yorktown. For example, Harmon uses a biblical allusion to compare the warfare to a moment from the apocalyptic Book of Revelation, and she extends this mythic imagery by using similes to liken the overwhelming light and sound of cannon fire to “shooting stars and swooping dragons.” Additionally, the author employs the technique of juxtaposition by presenting pairs of opposites, such as horror and beauty and life and death. Historical evidence suggests that the real Samson did not serve at Yorktown, so this scene also exemplifies the ways in which Harmon takes liberties with the original story in order to reshape the novel’s structure and gain access to scenes that would otherwise be impossible to create.

“I had never considered it a privilege to be a woman. Not even once. I had struggled at the bit of my sex, at the reins of society, at the saddle of tradition. It had not occurred to me that men had their own burdens, that they were bridled too. It was not women who died on the battlefield. I had been denied and barred entry to a world I wanted to experience, but had I been barred because I was disdained or because I was valued? I suspected it was both. Even so, I was less inclined to complain about my lot.”

The war impacts many of Samson’s beliefs, including her understanding of gender. For example, this passage shows her realization that although soldiering is “a world [she] wanted to experience,” society’s efforts to shield women from death on a battlefield is its own form of “privilege.” Harmon uses phrases like “the reins of society” and “the saddle of tradition” to create an extended metaphor comparing both men and women to beasts of burden. This metaphor encourages people to cast off oppressive societal expectations regardless of their gender.

“‘Mostly, I will need to be able to trust you. No gloating. No gossiping. No repeating what you see here or while you are at my side. Can I trust you, Shurtliff?’ My heart quaked and my belly flipped, but I nodded firmly, as curt as he. ‘Yes, sir, you can.’ And he could. No one worked harder or kept a secret better than I. Being a woman would not prevent me from doing any of the things he required.”

General Paterson’s emphasis on trust is an example of dramatic irony because Samson is keeping her identity a secret from him. By securing the challenging but rewarding role of the general’s aide-de-camp, Samson secures a major accomplishment by any standards, and her commitment to excellence has a major influence on the trajectory of the plot and her relationship with Paterson.

“‘I wasn’t born free.’ He frowned.

‘No?’

‘No.’

‘What’s that mean?’

I couldn’t tell him I was born a girl. I gave him another truth instead. ‘I was bound out when I was a child,’ I said.”

Samson and Agrippa’s conversation touches on the theme of the struggle for personal freedom. The protagonist’s own lived experience attests to the ways that factors like gender and class limit people’s freedoms. As a Black freeman, Agrippa adds another important voice to the discussion of the inalienable right of liberty.

“A shot rang out and knocked his hat from his head, and I screamed, coming out of my stupor. He slumped, still clinging to his weapon, and Lenox bolted forward, feeling the slack in the reins. Halfway across the field, the general slid limply from his back. I began to run toward him, my arms and legs pumping, but I didn’t make it very far. Two sharp cracks split the air like a whip being drawn in quick succession across my calf and then my thigh. I staggered, fell, and stayed down, my cheek pressed to the earth.”

In one of the novel’s most suspenseful scenes, Samson’s love for General Paterson compels her to come to his aid despite suffering severe injuries herself. The scene offers an important example of The Courage and Resilience of Women in History, for Samson’s wounds cause her to develop a permanent limp. The novel’s association between running and freedom makes her action in this scene even more self-sacrificial.

“‘She gave me three children, she gave me peace of mind, she gave me friendship and support. She gave and gave…and now she’s gone. And I am here, still fighting in this endless war, wondering what it’s all for.’

‘I’m so sorry, General.’

‘So am I,’ he muttered.”

This passage grants considerable insight into General Paterson’s character, his marriage with Elizabeth, and his doubts about the war and his place in the world. His painful thoughts explain his sleeplessness and his desire for Samson’s company. As Paterson and Samson’s relationship deepens, both characters must navigate feelings of guilt toward the late Elizabeth.

“‘God help me. What a bloody fool. What a bloody little fool,’ he breathed. ‘Deborah Samson. Dear God.’ And then he did the most unexpected thing of all. He drew me to his chest and embraced me. I gasped and my knees buckled, but he held me up. I had never been embraced. Not once in my memory had I been cradled in another’s arms, but John Paterson clutched me to his heart like the prodigal son come home.”

This moment takes place during the pivotal scene in which General Paterson confronts Samson with the truth of her hidden identity. The characters’ embrace is deeply significant. As the only person who knows both Deborah Samson and Robert Shurtliff on a close level, Paterson is the only person capable of embracing the protagonist’s full self. In addition, the affectionate act foreshadows Paterson’s decision to keep Samson’s secret and pursue a romantic relationship with her.

“‘I will not be able to protect you. You must understand this.’

‘No one has ever protected me, General. I have only ever had myself.’

He winced, and his shoulders drooped slightly. ‘That is a tragedy, Miss Samson.’

‘Please call me Rob. That is what the brothers called me. And no. It is not a tragedy. It is a victory. One I am proud of.’”

Samson’s statement that she has “only ever had [her]self” to depend upon develops the theme of The Courage and Resilience of Women in History, and it also helps her convince the general to allow her to remain in the army. Despite Paterson’s warning that he will be unable to shield her, he ultimately grants her an honorable discharge when the truth comes out.

“‘You are trying to lead, Samson. Stop that. You must be the woman or we will collide.’

‘I am being the woman. You went the wrong way. Is it because you are left-handed?’ I argued.

‘You are not doing the woman’s part. You are doing the same thing as I am. I’m going to tread on you.’”

With this scene, Harmon creates a moment of romance and comic relief as Samson and Paterson dance together in the general’s office. Even while dancing, the protagonist demonstrates the strong-willed spirit and the defiance of gender roles that are central to her character. The scene also illustrates the characters’ growing closeness and Paterson’s weakening resolve to keep his relationship with his aide-de-camp strictly professional.

“‘It is something I have asked myself every single day since this conflict began. Why am I here? What is it all for? That is something each man must answer for himself.’

The men looked at each other and back at Phineas, and the general spoke directly to him. ‘There is nothing I can do to repay you, Lieutenant. Nothing anyone can do to compensate you for what you’ve given and what you’ve lost. There is no justice for that. It doesn’t exist. But I will give you my back and let you take your vengeance.’”

General Paterson’s willingness to submit to a whipping at the hands of a mutineer marks a key scene that demonstrates the integrity and selflessness of the general’s character. Additionally, Phineas Thomas’s presence among the mutineers and his hopeless desire for justice foreshadow his tragic end.

“‘Phineas Thomas, you put that down,’ I demanded, sounding like the sister I’d always been.

‘I didn’t want to tell you, Samson, but Jerry’s gone too. He’s gone too. You might be the only one of us left.’ He darted forward, teeth bared, knife high, eyes on the general, and I screamed in denial and rage. But I pulled the trigger too. The force sent him hurtling, his knife still clutched in his hand, his dirty feet briefly leaving the ground, and I was chasing him again, like I’d done all those years before, trying to catch up, trying to catch him before he fell. But he won.”

In one of the novel’s most tragic scenes, Samson kills Phineas to protect the man she loves. Adding to the scene’s emotional weight, Phineas’s statement that Samson “might be the only one” left shows that he thinks of her as a sibling, too. Caught between her love of her “brother” and her love for the man she now serves, Samson must make an impossible choice. By juxtaposing the raw violence of the moment with Samson’s memories of childhood play, the narrative emphasizes the intensity of her grief over her part in Phineas’s demise.

“‘You are in love with me?’ I asked, tremulous.

‘I am in love with you. Desperately. And I am afraid everyone will see it.’”

Paterson’s love confession is bittersweet because he believes that his feelings of love require him to send Samson away. Other factors that complicate their relationship include his guilt over loving anyone other than his late wife, and the realities of keeping Samson’s secret also go against his rule-abiding nature.

“I do not hate being a woman. I simply hate that a woman can’t go to Yale or be a statesman or help draft a constitution. I hate that I can’t travel to Paris without a husband or even walk down the street alone. I hate the limitations that nature has placed on me, the limitations that life has placed on me. But I do not hate being a woman, and I would not hate being your woman.”

Paterson’s proposal marks a major development for the love story at the center of the novel. Additionally, Samson’s response touches on The Struggle for Gender Equality and Personal Freedom because to her leaving the war seems synonymous with surrendering her liberty. Samson despises “the limitations that nature” has placed on her, but the specific restrictions that she lists in this passage are societal restrictions rather than innate ones. By this point in the novel, she has thoroughly proven that she is every bit as capable as the men around her.

“Then the pews without parishioners and the long windows with their new colored glass bore witness to a marriage so impossible and improbable, it felt like one of my dreams. But it happened. And we were. Man and wife. John and Deborah, though until that moment, I felt Deborah had hardly existed at all. ‘And in the Book of Revelation we are given this admonition,’ Reverend Holmes intoned, and John smiled down into my eyes. It had all begun with Revelation. ‘Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter.’ And I promised that I would.”

Harmon uses sentence fragments to emphasize Samson’s breathless awe and joy during her wedding to Paterson: “But it happened. And we were. Man and wife.” The inclusion of the Book of Revelation 1:19 is important because the couple discussed this passage during one of their first in-person conversations. Additionally, Samson’s diaries and letters fulfill the verse’s injunction. This passage also illustrates The Impact of War on Identity and Societal Roles because the protagonist feels as though “Deborah had hardly existed at all” before the wedding. Leaving the army and becoming a wife requires Samson to discover who she is when she is no longer Robert Shurtliff or the Deborah Samson of her youth.

“It was Deborah Samson who marched and bled and starved and served. Me. But Deborah Samson is still an object of scorn and speculation when anyone thinks of me at all. And I have allowed myself to be by staying silent. I never even told my mother what I did.”

The death of Samson’s mother inspires her to go on a speaking tour and share the story of her life, a story that she “never even told” her mother. For years, she held back the truth lest she tarnish her husband’s reputation, but he staunchly supports her new venture. Samson’s speaking tour is not just about defending her own legacy from “scorn and speculation”; it is also about advocating for the equality of all women and honoring their courage and resilience in history.