Summary Of Nightjohn

The story of Nightjohn begins with a 12 year old girl, named Sarny, who lives under the enslavement of her cruel owner, Clel Waller. Sarny’s main duties on the plantation are to serve at the dinner table, spit tobacco on roses to prevent bugs, and convey secretive letters between Mr. Waller’s wife and Dr. Chamberlaine. Soon enough, Nightjohn arrives and takes Sarney under his guidance, in exchange for tobacco, while he secretly teaches her how to read and write. Nightjohn came back from freedom for the sole purpose of raising a new generation of young and educated slaves. By sacrificing his own liberty, Nightjohn showed his passion for assisting others and teaching fellow slaves. Nightjohn was not crazy since he had a positive motive: to give the power of knowledge and intelligence to others. During the slavery era, if a slave wanted to leave the plantation, they would need a written pass, authorizing the consent from their owners. Consequently, if
Sarny learns how to read and write quickly, thus realizing how much slavery relies on words (laws, decrees, passes). She also reads the Bible, thus helping her learn about Christianity. She also spits tobacco on rose bushes in order to reduce the amount of bugs on the plant. To begin with, Sarny finally understands the letters between the wife and Dr. Chamberlaine, concluding that they are having an affair. Secondly, she reads Mr. Waller’s personal slave records, learning the value of each slave on the plantation. Additionally, by learning reading and writing she puts herself at the danger of being punished severely. All these events ultimately culminate into one chaotic scene in the church, where Sarny is at gunpoint. During these scene, everyone is extremely tense but eventually Mr. Waller puts down his gun. This shows the widespread ruckus simply caused by Sarny’s new literary