The Providence of Nature.
In the last few chapters of The Bondwoman’s Narrative, Hannah Crafts consistently writes about Nature and the Providence that comes forth from it—which led to her freedom and survival. When Hannah is running away from Mr. and Mrs. Wheelers plantation, she successfully escapes to the north with the help of Nature—by following the North Star and tying a knot onto a small cord, Hannah managed to keep track of the direction she was going and the time. In the story Hannah writes “Trusting to him likewise, who hears and feeds the young ravens, nature had supplied to my wants an abundance of wholesome food” (220). In these small instances we can note that nature had a strong influence on Hannah’s survival and successful escape. To further my point, after Jacob gets killed and Hannah manages to survive the crash of the boat, Hannah writes “The instinct of self-preservation prompted me to crawl up higher on the bank, where the sun shone brightly, and I remember experiencing a vague impression that the generous warmth of his beams would restore my torpid and benumbed limbs to their natural exercise. I was soon recovered sufficiently to look around, when I ascertained that the branches of a fallen tree, into which had been washed by the eddying waves had saved me under Providence from a violent death” (232). Hannah is telling us that the natural cause of the branches falling from the tree have prevented her from death, but what interests me more is the fact that the sun manages to restore her energy and body. This isn’t the first time that the sun has restored someone, in the past Hannah mentions how Rose also managed to restore her energy and body through the sun’s rays as well. In more ways than one, Hannah uses Nature as an extension of her being in order to survive, and also as a guidance towards her freedom.