How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
The older woman sipped her tea. "What is your name, girl?" she asked me.
"Isabel, ma'am," I said. "Isabel Finch."
"Ridiculous name," Madam said […] "You are called Sal Lockton now." (9.21)
Wait… Did Madam just change Isabel's name? She sure did, and Isabel basically just has to stand there and take it, or else face the consequences. Our names are so tied up with who we are that to be told she no longer is Isabel has to be disorienting, especially when combined with everything she's experienced so far.
Quote #5
Madam looked down without seeing me; she looked at my face, my kerchief, my shift neatly tucked into my shirt, looked at my shoes pinching my feet, looked at my hands that were stronger than hers. She did not look into my eyes, did not see the lion inside. She did not see the me of me, the Isabel. (21.49)
The sale of Ruth is the first time that Isabel begins to see herself as a human independent of the slavery system. By acknowledging that Isabel is the core of who she is, not Sal Lockton, she begins to reject the authority that the system has over her. It's a huge turning point on her journey toward freeing herself from the control of other people.
Quote #6
Madam shot a sideways glance at me. "I prefer the girl branded with the letter I for 'Insolence.' It will alert people to her tendencies and serve as a reminder of her weakness." (22.36)
When Madam gets up in court and orders the branding as Isabel's punishment, she's basically telling everyone in attendance—right in front of Isabel—that Isabel is a bad girl. The branding, in a sense, makes this true, permanently inscribing her "tendencies" on her face. It not only mars Isabel's skin, but her sense of self as well.