Let Us Descend

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains depictions of enslavement, racism, violence, physical abuse, and imprisonment.

The lady of the house sits in her deceased husband’s room and will not allow his body to be taken away. The sickly odor of death permeates the house, and everyone is uneasy. In the fields, the workers will not start the harvest without her permission, for fear of punishment. The tension on the sugar plantation is palpable. On the fourth day, the lady gives instructions for her husband’s body to be brought downstairs. By this point, he is bloated and disfigured, and the task is an unpleasant one. Aza visits Annis again and speaks to her about “The Water,” where the spirits are all from. She tells Annis that those who die in agony often remain on the earth, wandering. Annis wonders if her mother is among this group, but Aza either cannot or will not say. Finally, the harvest begins, and Annis takes part in this grueling, laborious process. The enslaved men and women work tirelessly until the cane is not only cut, but processed and readied for sale.