Answer:
Chains took place during the Revolutionary War. That was a very hard period of time, especially for Isabel and her sister Ruth. During that period, Isabel and Ruth were slaves. They were sold to the Locktons, and Madam Lockton was extremely mean. Madam Lockton is a villain in many ways, such as hurting Isabel, telling her that she sold Ruth, and branding Isabel with the letter “I” on her cheek.
The first reason why Madam Lockton is a villain is because she hurts Isabel. For example, when they first go to New York, Madam slapped Isabel across the face because she said something she did not want to hear. “Such impudence is disturbing” (Anderson 23). Also, when Madam told Isabel that she sold her sister, she smashed a painting over her head. Madam is not a very nice person. Another example, is when Madam finds out that Isabel is visiting Curzon in jail and delivering messages. She throws a teapot at Isabel. Then, she puts her in the potato bin. This is just one of the reasons though.
The next reason why Madam Lockton is a villain is because she pretended that she sold Ruth though; she just hid her and acted like she did. Isabel got really mad and attacked Madam. “There’s no telling who it’ll take” (Anderson 5). Isabel did not know what else to but run as fast as she could, away from Madam. Unfortunately, she did not get very far.
The last reason why Madam is a villain is because she branded Isabel with the letter “I” on her cheek. The letter “I” stands for insolence. When Isabel ran away, she got caught, and Madam Lockton decided that her punishment would be to have her branded. This is just wrong, because even though she disobeyed the rules, Isabel should not have had such an awful punishment. “If I cried a river, maybe I could swim away, or slip under the water to freedom” (Anderson 147). Her punishment should of been a little less harsh. It is unfair that since Isabel is a slave, she gets treated like she does not matter. Everyone should be treated the same no matter gender, color, or religion.
Madam Lockton is a villain for everything she has done, like pretending she sold Ruth, branding Isabel on her cheek, and hurting her. Isabel had a huge impact because she showed to never give up and to keep going through the hard situations. From what Isabel has shown, the only thing that could be said is to just keep fighting and never give up. Everyone should hope that Isabel finds Ruth and begins her life of freedom and happiness. Isabel really does deserve freedom and happiness after everything she has been through. She should do what she does best and push her way through to the end.
