The Thread Collectors

Intersectionality is an analytical framework for understanding how different aspects of an individual’s identity, such as race, class, gender, and religion, among other factors, create systems of overlapping oppression or privilege. The Thread Collectors explores intersectionality by using multiple protagonists to explore the Civil War through a diverse set of perspectives. Though each of the novel’s primary characters faces some level of oppression or discrimination, their individual experiences are determined by their unique identities. Richman and Edwards explore how the differing experiences of various marginalized groups can lead either to strife and infighting or to unity. By illustrating how characters benefit from sharing their experiences and supporting one another—despite their differing backgrounds and experiences—The Thread Collectors underscores the necessity of intersectional activism in the fight against oppression.

As Black women living in the Confederate South, Stella, Janie, and Ammanee all experience misogynoir, the intersection of racism and misogyny. In addition to the threat of racialized violence and discrimination, they are subject to the constant threat of sexual violence from white men, including their enslavers. Both Janie and Stella participate in plaçage, forced arrangements with white men that grant them a chance to live semi-independently in exchange for regular sexual encounters, where they are repeatedly sexually assaulted.

In addition to their shared experiences, the three women experience differing levels of oppression based on their skin tones. Janie, a light-skinned woman, is technically free, having been granted manumission by Percy. As Percy’s half-white daughter, Stella is still considered Percy’s property, but she has an unusual amount of control over her life in that she is allowed to “choose” her plaçage agreement when she turns 18. Ammanee, who has two Black parents, is only spared life on the plantation because of Stella and Janie’s demands. She is made to sleep on a pile of straw in the kitchen, while Stella gets her own room and bed. As Janie says in Chapter 44, their lives are “different grades of easy, like different shades of brown” (203).

At times, these differences cause friction between the three women. Janie harbors barely-concealed resentment for Stella because she is the product of one of Percy’s assaults. Despite having experienced the trauma of plaçage herself, Janie downplays the traumatic nature of Stella’s experiences because Stella has never stood on a literal auction block. She implies that Stella is not a true survivor of assault and racist violence, characterizing Ammanee as her strong, resilient child, and Stella as the weaker of the two. Janie’s unwillingness to empathize with her daughter makes plaçage a lonely experience for Stella, who has no one to talk to about the trauma and sexual violence of Frye’s visits.

Ammanee, who is technically Stella’s maid, envies her younger sister’s relative freedom. Ammanee’s entire life has revolved around making sure that Stella is taken care of. When Stella tries to engage Ammanee in talks about her hopes and desires, Ammanee cuts her off, reminding her that “Frye still own me [...] you gotta remember-we different, you and me” (150).

Despite these differences, the women are ultimately all in the same position, with their lives subject to the whims of white men. None of them can be truly free while Frye exerts control over their lives. They are most empowered when they come together to fight against oppression, like when Stella and Ammanee come together to kill Frye after he threatens Stella’s baby.

Richman and Edwards explore how a history of oppression can influence an individual to either “punch down” and oppress others or stand up for others. Lily’s character embodies the idea of intersectional activism. Seen through one lens, she lives a privileged life as a wealthy white Northerner. Yet her experiences are also informed by her ethnic, religious, and gender identity. As a Jewish woman who is outspoken about abolition, she often faces antisemitic and misogynistic backlash from those around her.

Eliza provides a counterexample to Lily. As the only Jewish woman in her hometown, she faces heightened scrutiny and discrimination from her neighbors. Rather than making her sympathetic to the plight of Black Americans, including enslaved people, however, these experiences push her to align herself with the Confederacy to achieve a higher social status. Lily calls out this hypocrisy at Eliza’s Passover dinner, saying that while Eliza celebrates “the Israelites’ escape from bondage in Egypt,” she fails “to see the irony of [her] words, in support of Southern slavery” (61). The Draft Riots are another example of divisive behavior among oppressed groups, as Irish immigrants turn on Black Americans, one of the only groups with fewer social protections than themselves at the time.

William and Jacob’s friendship is another example of intersectional solidarity in action. William is initially wary of Jacob, expecting Jacob to treat him with contempt like the other white soldiers do. However, Jacob’s own experiences as a member of a marginalized ethnic and religious group allow him to identify with William more than he does with the other white recruits. Though Jacob does not experience as much oppression as William, he also fails to live up to the white Anglo-Saxon ideal. The men bond over their shared outsider status while acknowledging their differences, and the friendship they form expands both of their capacities for empathy and support in the face of oppression.

By examining the Civil War through a diverse set of perspectives, Edwards and Richman underscore how intersecting identities of race, gender, ethnicity, religion, and skin tone create distinct yet interconnected experiences of oppression, which can either divide or unite oppressed groups. The characters of The Thread Collectors make the most progress when they recognize and honor one another’s distinct identities while embracing intersectional solidarity to fight against racist oppression.