A brand new country and freedom,
this is what the women of the revolution wanted to fight for, yet they
couldn’t. This was the case with Deborah Sampson in Soldier’s Secret, a brave
woman, who wasn’t allowed to fight. Raised kind of like a boy, she was allowed
to learn, she was allowed to read, and she hunted. Although she still couldn’t
help her country in the conflict with England. That’s when she became
determined to deceive everybody by dressing, acting, and talking like a man.
Deborah’s determined to be a man,
not to actually change her gender, but to act like a man to prove she will
fight for her forming country. The way
that even after she can’t perfectly deceive the guards the first time, but
changes her name and tries again just proves that she wants to fight. All of
the adversity just makes her want to prove herself even more, the only problem
is she can’t tell anyone. It’s not just that Deborah wants to deceive
everybody, it is just that she wants to prove that women aren’t weak and they
should be allowed to make their own choices. Deborah wants to prove that she’s
tougher than most of the guys in her squad.
Just like Deborah wants to prove
she can be a better man than some, she is also determined to show her mother
that she can make her own decisions. Throughout Deborah’s life her mother had
control, and whenever Deborah would do something, more often than not, mom
would disapprove. Even when Deborah was working for a family her mother
promised a man to her without consulting the bride. It wasn’t just any man
though, it was a man with the IQ level of a rock. This enraged Deb and helped
her make her decision to seek out the military.
Deborah wants to prove she can be a
man and make her own decisions, kind of like Katniss Everdeen. Katniss was
trying to prove she could survive the Hunger Games and was determined to win
for her family. Both of the characters have mothers that don’t take care of
them very well. Deb’s mom only takes care of three of her children, Deborah no
included, and is always disapproving
while Katniss’ mom never provides anything for her family. Katniss is
determined to survive and protect her family while Deb is determined to protect
her country.
Deborah Sampson was a brave soldier
who fought harder than any man. In the end she suffered more than some, through
loss and injury. With a striking resemblance to Katniss Everdeen, Soldier’s
Secret is a novel built upon determination entirely, as Deborah Sampson was one
determined woman.
