Midnight Rider

What different forms of bondage does the novel present in order to highlight the dynamics of colonial oppression?

How does Harlow use documented historical events to drive the plot and inform the characters’ key motivations? To what extent does she remain true to the details of the original events?

Consider the figure of Phillis Wheatley. What role does she play in the novel? What does her poem about her experience of enslavement suggest about her current frame of mind?

The novel presents the pre-revolutionary conflict primarily through Hannah’s perspective as an indentured servant. How might the story’s themes and moral complexities change if told from the viewpoint of Meg, Caleb, or Mrs. Gage?

How does Harlow’s focus on a female protagonist and domestic espionage challenge common portrayals of coming of age during America’s founding period?

Harlow creates several character pairings that illuminate different aspects of colonial society, including Hannah and Meg, Will and Caleb, and General Gage and Mrs. Gage. Select one pairing and analyze how the characters’ contrasting backgrounds, motivations, and choices illustrate the novel’s key themes.

What symbolic purpose does Hannah’s ring serve throughout the narrative? Why does she wear it, and when does she choose to hide it?

Harlow blends documented historical details with fictional elements, placing Hannah at real events like Leslie’s Retreat while crafting fictional interactions with historical figures like General Gage. How does this mixture of fact and fiction serve the novel’s exploration of how ordinary individuals influence historical changes?