the invention of wings by sue monk kidd sparknotes

Sarah will experience crushed hopes, betrayal, unrequited love, and ostracism before leaving Charleston to find her place alongside her fearless younger sister, Angelina, as one of the early pioneers in the abolition and women’s rights movements. We follow their remarkable journeys over the next thirty five years, as both strive for a life of their own, dramatically shaping each other’s destinies and forming a complex relationship marked by guilt, defiance, estrangement and the uneasy ways of love.Īs the stories build to a riveting climax, Handful will endure loss and sorrow, finding courage and a sense of self in the process. Kidd’s sweeping novel is set in motion on Sarah’s eleventh birthday, when she is given ownership of ten year old Handful, who is to be her handmaid. The Grimke’s daughter, Sarah, has known from an early age she is meant to do something large in the world, but she is hemmed in by the limits imposed on women. Hetty “Handful” Grimke, an urban slave in early nineteenth century Charleston, yearns for life beyond the suffocating walls that enclose her within the wealthy Grimke household. We read every chapter, summarize and analyze it for your convenience.Writing at the height of her narrative and imaginative gifts, Sue Monk Kidd presents a masterpiece of hope, daring, the quest for freedom, and the desire to have a voice in the world-and it is now the newest Oprah’s Book Club 2.0 selection. With Instaread, you can get the summary and analysis of a book in 15 minutes.

Sarah is against the practice of slavery and is horrified to be named the owner of Handful. Handful, who is the daughter of the seamstress, Charlotte, is to be Sarah’s personal handmaiden. Handful is a ten-year-old slave girl who is given to Sarah on her eleventh birthday. This affliction comes and goes at different times. This upsets her so much that it causes her to have a stuttering problem. At a young age, Sarah witnesses the whipping of a slave. Sarah is the daughter of John and Mary Grimké, members of high society in Charleston, South Carolina.

The story is told in alternating narratives and spans thirty-five years of their lives. The book is written from the points of view of the two main characters, Sarah and Handful.

The Invention of Wings is a moving novel inspired by the historical figure of Sarah Grimké. Analysis of the Themes and Author’s Style.Introduction to the Important People in the book.PLEASE NOTE: This is an unofficial summary and analysis of the book and NOT the original book. Summary of The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd | Includes Analysis

The invention of wings by sue monk kidd sparknotes