Review Of Sue Monk Kidd's 'The Invention Of Wings'

It is not often that a slave owner and her African American slave become companions in Charleston, South Caroline during the 17th century. In the excellent novel, The Invention of Wings, Sarah Grimké, daughter of a white, wealthy jurist befriends her slave, Handful at the young age of eleven. Knowing their peculiar friendship may spark a dangerous situation in their conservative family and hometown, they continue to remain closely bonded with great respect towards own another. Although the girls are born a different race and background, Sue Monk Kidd writes about how astonishing similarly and different they are in their own unique ways. Handful has worked for the Grimké family almost all her life as Sarah’s personal servant and seamstress. As any …show more content…
Kidd brilliantly does this to involve Sarah and Handful’s personal perspective of their journey through their own eyes. This exposes their private thoughts, emotions and experiences that can help the reader understand more clearly what they went through in life and through their same experiences. This first-person narrative shows how Sarah and Handful tell their stories at a time when females didn’t have their own voice, or very many rights. Kidd also shows how differently the girls are treated because of the color of their skin. On the ship ride to the north, Handful and her sister Sky were confronted by guards, bombarding them with many questions, such as where they were going and for what reason. The Invention of Wings shows how shocking two individuals born in different backgrounds and race could have similar characteristics as one another. One wouldn’t think a white female would have as much rights and freedom as an African American slave. It isn’t rare, especially in the 17th century in South Carolina. Although the girls are very much alike, they have their own different personalities that make the novel more