“But there was nothing else Deborah could do. That’s how it was for a poor girl without anyone to take care of her.”

This passage is a direct authorial statement on the social and economic constraints shaping Deborah’s childhood. Her poverty and dependence on others leave her with little control over where or how she lives, establishing an early lack of independence that the narrative later connects more explicitly to the restrictions placed on women. This passage begins to develop the theme of Gender Discrimination as a Barrier to Independence.

“But the Thomas family was not her family. She knew what she was in the Thomas household. A servant. And she knew she would have to be a servant for 10 years.”

Although Deborah is once again living in a family household, the passage emphasizes that her position there is that of a servant. The 10-year agreement determines much of her childhood and adolescence, leaving her with limited control over her circumstances until she reaches adulthood.

“In those days, people did not think it was important for girls to read. Some people thought too much reading gave girls brain fever.”

The author presents a concise summary of restrictive attitudes toward female education in Deborah’s time. These beliefs explain why the Thomas boys attend school while Deborah must pursue reading and writing largely on her own, showing how gender limits her access to formal education and developing Gender Discrimination as a Barrier to Independence.

“The Thomas children thought Deborah was odd, even a little crazy. Why did she care so much about school? Why did she ask so many questions?”

By filtering Deborah’s intellectual curiosity through the perspective of the other children, the author shows how unusual her intense interest in learning appears within the household. Their reaction highlights the strength of Deborah’s curiosity and her determination to keep learning despite having little access to formal education.

“She started writing in a diary—a book in which she wrote down her good and her bad thoughts and deeds.”

This detail about the diary shows Deborah extending her self-directed education through writing. By recording and evaluating her “good” and “bad” thoughts and deeds, she uses the diary for moral self-examination while developing the literacy she has largely pursued on her own. The diary becomes a recurring motif associated with reflection and recording her experiences.

“Groups of men and young boys began training to be soldiers. They were called minutemen because they were ready to fight at a minute’s notice. Deborah watched them drill in her village.”

The passage places Deborah as an observer while men and boys in her village prepare to participate directly in the growing conflict. Her position outside this activity anticipates the gender restriction she later confronts when she considers military service and asks why an opportunity that’s available to men should be closed to her.

“The Thomas children were growing up. Deborah said good-bye to the oldest boy who left home and went to war.”

The oldest Thomas boy’s departure brings military service into Deborah’s immediate experience as she approaches adulthood herself. His ability to leave home and join the war also anticipates the gendered difference in opportunity that Deborah later recognizes when she considers how a young man seeking travel and adventure can join the army while she cannot.

“But free to do what? She was a woman. That meant she could not learn a trade, the way young men did.”

The question exposes the limits of the independence that Deborah gains when her 10-year obligation to the Thomas family ends. Although she’s now free to determine where she lives and works, her inability to learn a trade in the same way as young men restricts her economic and vocational choices, directly developing Gender Discrimination as a Barrier to Independence.

“No, Deborah was in no hurry to get married. Deborah dreamed of a great adventure. Doing housework from morning till night and looking after a house full of babies was not her idea of a great adventure. Not yet. Not now.”

The words “Not yet. Not now” show that Deborah doesn’t reject marriage altogether; she wants the opportunity to travel and experience “a great adventure” before settling into domestic life. Her priorities at this stage establish the desire for travel and new experiences that later leads her toward military service, developing The Lasting Drive for Adventure.

“She was weaving cloth, but she was also weaving plans. She told no one about them. There was no one to share her secret with, no one to give her advice.”

This sentence uses the metaphor of weaving to link Deborah’s work as a weaver with the secret plan taking shape in her mind. Having no one with whom she can share the plan or seek advice also introduces the isolation that accompanies concealment, anticipating The Burden of Concealment.

“‘You are an honest man,’ the fortune-teller told Deborah. ‘I see in your future many adventures. But not all of them will be successful.’”

The fortune-teller unknowingly provides an early test of Deborah’s male disguise by accepting her as a man. His prediction of “many adventures” also anticipates what follows: Deborah will achieve the adventurous life she has imagined, although it will bring dangers and hardships she has yet to experience.

“Deborah wrote in her diary: ‘From that day on, I set him down a fool.’”

The author’s choice to quote directly from Deborah’s diary gives her voice an unmediated presence in the text. Her blunt judgment follows the suitor’s arrival while drunk and makes clear why she rejects him. The diary records Deborah forming and expressing her own judgment about a potential husband at a time when her mother is encouraging her to marry.

“‘Go on!’ another part of her cried. ‘You can do it. Think of the adventures. You want to see rivers and mountains and cities. You want to see Boston.’”

Deborah’s competing thoughts capture the uncertainty she experiences after becoming lost and finding herself back near home. What persuades her to continue is the prospect of seeing new places and having adventures, showing how strongly The Lasting Drive for Adventure shapes her decision to continue toward Boston despite the difficulty of the journey.

“But wonder of wonders—no one guessed who she really was! They thought she was young—15 years old—because she had no beard. Most of the time the men called her Bobby. But sometimes, to tease her, they called her ‘Blooming Boy.’”

The soldiers interpret the features that might have exposed Deborah as signs that Robert Shurtliff is simply very young. Even the teasing nickname “Blooming Boy” remains within that assumption, showing how successfully she is being perceived as a young male soldier. Their response helps explain why her disguise survives close daily contact with the other men.

“War was the most horrible thing in the world, she thought.”

This brief, stark declaration marks a decisive change in Deborah’s understanding of the adventure she sought through military service. After experiencing the suffering and violence of war firsthand, she no longer regards war as an adventure, although her desire for travel and new experiences survives beyond her military life. The distinction is central to the development of The Lasting Drive for Adventure.

“But she never complained, and the other soldiers liked her for that. She did not drink or sing with the men, or take part in their wrestling contests or games. She tried to stay by herself as much as possible.”

Maintaining her disguise shapes Deborah’s everyday interactions with the other soldiers. She avoids drinking, singing, wrestling, and games that could draw attention to her body or identity and consequently spends as much time alone as possible. The restrictions she places on her own behavior show how constant vigilance becomes part of The Burden of Concealment.

“‘Leave me,’ she begged him. ‘Save yourself! I am going to die anyway!’”

Deborah makes this plea after being wounded in both the neck and leg, knowing that treatment of her leg could expose the secret she has worked to protect. Her willingness to be left behind despite the seriousness of her injuries shows how fear of discovery begins to interfere with her ability to seek help.

“The pain was more than she could bear. But if she left the bullet for the doctor to remove, he would find out her secret. That thought gave her the courage to try once more.”

Deborah’s fear of discovery directly affects the medical care she’s willing to receive. She continues trying to remove the bullet herself despite severe pain because allowing a doctor to treat the wound would expose her identity. The lasting damage to her leg makes this one of the clearest physical consequences of The Burden of Concealment.

“Dr. Binney discovered that Robert Shurtliff, the young soldier, was really a young woman!”

Illness finally leads to the discovery of the identity that Deborah has successfully concealed throughout her military service. Dr. Binney’s discovery places her secret in another person’s hands, but his decision to protect it allows her to continue serving as Robert Shurtliff.

“‘You have nothing to fear, Bobby—er, whoever you are,’ General Paterson said. ‘You have only my admiration and respect.’”

General Paterson’s response resolves Deborah’s immediate fear about what will happen once he knows her identity. His assurance that she has “nothing to fear,” followed by his expression of admiration and respect, allows Deborah to reveal her real name and stop concealing the truth from him.

“‘I should be proud to know her,’ said the captain, ‘but I don’t.’”

The captain’s honest, unwitting response to meeting the undisguised Deborah highlights how strongly he associates Robert Shurtliff with the male soldier he knew. Even after hearing about Deborah Sampson, he doesn’t recognize the woman in the pink gown standing before him as his former comrade. His reaction shows how completely clothing and outward appearance have shaped his perception of her identity.

“It should have been a peaceful place for Deborah, after her many adventures. But Deborah still longed for adventure. She still longed to travel—to know what was beyond the next hill.”

This passage makes clear that marriage, motherhood, and life on the family farm have not ended Deborah’s desire for travel and new experiences. Her continued curiosity about what lies “beyond the next hill” carries a motivation established in her youth into another stage of her life and prepares for her later decision to travel as a public lecturer. This continuity develops The Lasting Drive for Adventure.

“Deborah Sampson was one of the first women in this country to travel alone and give talks for money. She made all the travel arrangements and took care of every detail by herself.”

Here, the author draws attention to the unusual independence of Deborah’s lecture tour. Traveling alone, earning money from public speaking, and managing her own arrangements show her exercising the practical and economic independence that had been severely restricted when she was younger. Her later career therefore extends the book’s exploration of Gender Discrimination as a Barrier to Independence.