To forget is to die… memory is a bridge from the curse of slavery to the boon of freedom”. In the words of Harriet Tubman, a character in the book: “To forget is to truly slave. Readers in the marketplace have celebrated this book, and rightly so.The central theme in The Water Dancer, Ta-Nehisi Coates’ new novel about slavery in 19th century Virginia, is easy to grasp: memory is life. It rightly sweeps the characters’ stories up into the longing for freedom and becomes not merely a story of race but instead a story of liberation. Harriet Tubman even makes an appearance! Those interested in understanding how America came to its present state will find these pages welcoming. With a few twists of narrative, it presents that culture ethos of a dying state based on slavery, of a free society, and of the Underground Railroad seeking universal emancipation. This book’s popularity acknowledges the weight that the American history of slavery has held recently. His life story also functions as a testament to the power of love to overcome difficult barriers. Thus, in a way, this book functions as a coming-of-age story where Walker must understand his unique place in the world, whatever that means and wherever that leads. He has superb powers of memory but cannot reckon his own family’s history. The protagonist lives in a world of the Quality, Low-Whites, and the Tasked – appropriate labels for classes in an oppressive state. This tapestry is woven together so that the reader anxiously awaits the inevitable unfolding at the last page. The story is organized into three parts, and each part functions as its own mini-story with its own intrigue and climax. As noted in the endnote, the story is inspired by the historical narrative about William and Peter Still and their family. Finally, he learns the secrets of his family as he learns to found his own.Ĭoates is masterful in presenting us with a story where everything comes together in the final chapters. Along the way, he discovers the backcountry of Virginia along with the freedoms of Philadelphia. Using the motif of finding one’s own free way, he describes the story of Hiram Walker, an enslaved person who was educated due to his superb memory, only to become intermixed with the Underground Railroad. In this novel, Coates reminds us that personal loyalties to family sometimes transcend the desire for freedom. The story of freedom is both an American story and a universally human one.
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