Sally Hemings as a Love Story

Sally Hemings as a Love Story

In the book Sally Hemings by Barbara Chase-Riboud many people often categorize its' contents into two subjects one being a love story and the other as a biography of Thomas Jefferson. To me this book outlines the romantic story between Thomas Jefferson and his slave, Sally Hemings. It shows us not only the love story of their relationship but the romantic epic of how Thomas Jefferson as a widower copes with the death of his wife, Martha. Its' pages unravel to us a deeper side of Jefferson, a side only seen by the eyes of Sally Hemings. It introduces us to conversations that may have taken place between the two that leads us to believe this is a love story.

Thomas Jefferson was a widower with a daughter--five other children having died young--when he met Sally Hemings. She was in her mid teens, when they became lovers. They had several children together who were of course put into slavery. The author allows us to see that Hemings graced Jefferson's table as lady of the house. She stayed so true and so devoted to her master-now found lover that even when she had the opportunity to escape her slavery (on a trip to Paris) she refused to do so. She remained at Monticello until her own death, she refused to leave a place where she had found herself happiest. This alone can prove to us that this is more than just history it is a true love story.

Jefferson shows his love for her in many ways. He even goes to the extent to contradict himself and change his point of views on slavery, all in the name of love. On page 157 the author describes to us that when Jefferson came home from Paris his views on slavery changed. The book shows that they may have changed because in Paris he fell in love with Sally. The love story continues to evolve when on page 178 Sally is having a conversation and she speaks about his love for her. "A white man don't keep no black concubine for six years without loving her. He loved your sister and he lost her, and now he loves you." The passage is talking about Jefferson's love for his first wife and now for Sally. It's just as if it were a love triangle on a soap opera, where he falls in love with the sister of his dead wife. To me this is giving definite information on the aspect of the book being a love story.

Then on page 186 and 187 the story goes on to showing us a quarrel between the two loved ones. If this was not a love story then there would be no need for these pages in the book. In the argument we see a fight like many others common in love stories. She at one point yells to him "You burn those letters and you'll be sleeping alone." Pointing out to us that they are clearly involved. After hearing her yelling this he quickly revives the papers from the fire and tries to please her. He obviously does it out of love for her or else he would have let them burn without any remorse for what he did. Jefferson felt the heat of passion in her voice when she yelled; the two lovers give us a great scene of lust and infatuation. The author is pulling us into their love story causing most readers to be in suspense awaiting Jefferson to pull those papers from the burning flames. Not only do we "feel" the heat from the burning flames but we can "feel" the heat from their passionate lovers' quarrel. This scene is giving us just another strong point of view for us to look at this book as a love story.

Towards the end of the book we see there love begin to dwindle from how strong it once was. Thomas Jefferson becomes president again and leaves Sally and his "alleged" children that he had with her. When he finally arrives home they all await him anxiously on the stairs of the house. He comes home and all is well until he gets the news of a man he treated as a son, Meriwether Lewis is dead. Once he gets this news he and Sally get into an argument because of what he says to her. On page 276 she tells him you still have 4 sons, for he was worried that he had now no