Nightjohn Sparknotes

Nightjohn—a novel written by Gary Paulsen—issues slavery, which shows how everyone should be treated equally. Sarny is a 12 year old girl who is a slave and her owner is Clel Waller. Sarny was taken away from her actual mother at the age of four: “My mammy she told me that my birthing mammy was sold when I was four years old because she was a good breeder and Waller needed the money” (Paulsen 15). Sarny’s birthing mammy is her actual mother; her mammy is the woman who looks after Sarny. African Americans are treated as objects; they are sold at auction houses. Slave owners will buy slaves or sell them. Sarny, along with the other slaves, will work in harsh conditions: “We work around the quarters and clean the yard and gather eggs and help

They will not get paid for the labor they did. Waller wants the slaves to do the work for Waller. Waller is living in an actual house where no slaves could go unless they were instructed to. Later on, Waller bought another slave, Nightjohn. Nightjohn was someone who was originally freed, but he came back to teach other slaves how to read and write. Sarny is introduced to Nightjohn when he asks her for some tobacco in exchange for letters. Nightjohn starts to teach Sarny different letters and how to form words. Mammy approaches Sarny about this, saying she would get caught. Slaves are not allowed to have any education at all. Unfortunately, Sarny is caught writing in the dirt: “You going to tell me who’s teaching them to read? He hit her with his fist. Then he unhooked her from the chains and ripped her clothes from her body” (70). Sarny likes reading and writing; she is able to write down her thoughts and feelings. If Waller so any slave obeyed his rules, he would punish them: whipping, chiseling toes off, and hanging people onto the spring house. Nightjohn is punished for teaching other slaves to read and write; his middle toes are chiseled