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Madam Lockton
Madam Lockton’s husband, Master Lockton, is a wealthy merchant. He’s tall, overweight, and is a devout Loyalist—he believes the King should maintain control of the Colonies, as that’s how Lockton will continue to amass his fortune and how he’ll remain influential among the British ruling class. He has an even wealthier aunt, Lady Seymour, whom he respects—though he and Madam also hope to inherit her wealth and property when she dies. Lockton is extremely self-centered and wants to succeed at all costs. For this reason, he demands total deference from Madam—and when she resists, he gets physically violent with her. His wealth and prestige is so important to him that when threatened with arrest, he forces Madam to stay in their city home against her will—if she leaves, he reasons, the Patriots will loot their house. Lockton is a key player in Loyalist circles when the Patriots hold New York, smuggling money into the city to bribe Patriot farmers and later helping to plot the assassination of General Washington. Despite his self-centeredness and his violent tendencies, though, Lockton reads as somewhat ambivalent about slavery. He’s seldom outright cruel to Isabel, and when it’s revealed that Ruth suffers from epilepsy, he refuses to let Madam sell Ruth—he insists that because the girls are children and sisters, it’d be inhumane to separate them. Lockton also insists on treating Lady Seymour kindly and generously by sending Isabel to work for her when Lady Seymour needs household help more than the Locktons do, and then by giving the lady the Locktons’ bedroom when she becomes gravely ill. Ultimately, though, Lockton leaves New York for London—and Madam’s cruelty to both Isabel and Lady Seymour goes unchecked without him around.
Master Elihu Lockton Quotes in Chains
The Chains quotes below are all either spoken by Master Elihu Lockton or refer to Master Elihu Lockton. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 6
Quotes
“You feel beholden to Lockton?”
“Pardon?”
“He’s going to feed you and your sister, give you a place to sleep. He can order you sold, beat, or hung, if the mood takes him. That could make a person feel a kind of loyalty.”
I stopped, considering this. “Someday I’ll find that lawyer and Miss Mary’s will and that’ll free us. Until then, we need to eat, work, and stay together. So yes, I guess I’m loyal to Lockton.”
The words tasted bitter. Being loyal to the one who owned me gave me prickly thoughts, like burrs trapped in my shift, pressing into my skin with every step.
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“They won’t say anything in front of me.”
“You are a small black girl, Country,” he said bitterly. “You are a slave, not a person. They’ll say things in front of you they won’t say in front of the white servants. ’Cause you don’t count to them. It happens all the time to me.”
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Chapter 7
Quotes
“Listen to me good. Them that feeds us”—she pointed upstairs—“they’re Loyalists, Tories. That means we’re Tories too, understand?”
“Yes, ma’am.” I nodded. “But…” I hesitated, not sure if I was allowed to ask questions. “Master Lockton claimed he was a Patriot on the docks.”
[…] “He was faking to protect his skin. Some folks switch back and forth. One day they’re for the king, the next, it’s all ‘liberty and freedom, huzzah!’ A tribe of Mr. Facing-Both-Ways, that’s what you’ll find in New York.”
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Chapter 15
Quotes
“The child’s curse will poison us all. I want her sold, Elihu, sold today.”
[…]
“They are sisters, Anne. One must remember that.”
“Please, Madam,” I said. “She’s too little. She’ll be hurt.”
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Get the entire Chains LitChart as a printable PDF.
Master Elihu Lockton Quotes in Chains
The Chains quotes below are all either spoken by Master Elihu Lockton or refer to Master Elihu Lockton. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 6
Quotes
“You feel beholden to Lockton?”
“Pardon?”
“He’s going to feed you and your sister, give you a place to sleep. He can order you sold, beat, or hung, if the mood takes him. That could make a person feel a kind of loyalty.”
I stopped, considering this. “Someday I’ll find that lawyer and Miss Mary’s will and that’ll free us. Until then, we need to eat, work, and stay together. So yes, I guess I’m loyal to Lockton.”
The words tasted bitter. Being loyal to the one who owned me gave me prickly thoughts, like burrs trapped in my shift, pressing into my skin with every step.
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Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
“They won’t say anything in front of me.”
“You are a small black girl, Country,” he said bitterly. “You are a slave, not a person. They’ll say things in front of you they won’t say in front of the white servants. ’Cause you don’t count to them. It happens all the time to me.”
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Chapter 7
Quotes
“Listen to me good. Them that feeds us”—she pointed upstairs—“they’re Loyalists, Tories. That means we’re Tories too, understand?”
“Yes, ma’am.” I nodded. “But…” I hesitated, not sure if I was allowed to ask questions. “Master Lockton claimed he was a Patriot on the docks.”
[…] “He was faking to protect his skin. Some folks switch back and forth. One day they’re for the king, the next, it’s all ‘liberty and freedom, huzzah!’ A tribe of Mr. Facing-Both-Ways, that’s what you’ll find in New York.”
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Chapter 15
Quotes
“The child’s curse will poison us all. I want her sold, Elihu, sold today.”
[…]
“They are sisters, Anne. One must remember that.”
“Please, Madam,” I said. “She’s too little. She’ll be hurt.”
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