Wolf by the Ears

Wolf by the Ears is a 1991 historical novel for young adults by American author Ann Rinaldi. Set on the estate known as Monticello in Virginia, decades before the Civil War, it follows Harriet Hemmings, a young girl who is enslaved by Thomas Jefferson. Finding that she is able to pass as white, Harriet investigates her possible familial roots—including the possibility that Thomas Jefferson is her biological father. As she comes of age, she realizes that even those who pass as white are not afforded the same rights and privileges as the whites of the slave-owning class. She meets several inspiring abolitionist figures and develops her own sense of social justice, grounded in the principle of equality for every man and woman. The novel incorporates themes of racism and racial passing, socioeconomic inequality, and the formation of identity and family.

The novel begins in 1820 when Harriet is nineteen. During her childhood, even slaves who win their freedom never see the true end of oppression; racism is an unrelenting force driving American society. Harriet, a fair-skinned black woman, has a relatively peaceful life for a slave (relative to the grueling and abuse-filled ones of countless others) on Thomas Jefferson’s famous estate. Jefferson is an unusual slave owner in that he treats his slaves with respect, and gives them the resources to learn reading and writing. Jefferson even gives Harriet a leather-bound journal to record her personal thoughts. Because she is treated well, Harriet sometimes believes that she is not a slave. Jefferson’s son-in-law, Mister Randolph, tells her that the color of her skin makes her a slave, not the quality of her treatment. He proclaims that slavery is inherently wrong, and hopes to help pass a resolution freeing all of Virginia’s slaves. Harriet starts to believe that such a resolution will one day pass, but her mother tells her that it is only a fantasy.

As she comes of age, Harriet starts to internalize the subtle ways in which she is treated as less human and less free than white people. Still, she continues to respect Jefferson and appreciate his kindness. She looks forward to turning twenty-one because it will enable her, if she so chooses, to either marry or become a free woman and leave Monticello. Though she loves living on Jefferson’s estate, she has little desire to get married. Her best friend, Thurston, warns her that Jefferson will soon die and that if she remains there, she might be resold into slavery under a cruel master. Harriet denies that Jefferson would allow such a thing to happen.



When Mister Bankhead, the son of Mister Randolph’s wife, tries to assault Harriet, Thurston stops him. Mister Randolph comes to the scene and kicks Mister Bankhead off the land. He advises that Harriet try to marry when she turns twenty-one, lest one of her overseers make her marry someone chosen on her behalf. He also explains that it is not as great as it may seem to claim her freedom, since it will require her to leave Virginia, and enter a world that is just as unkind to freed slaves as it is to slaves. He tells her that she is white-skinned enough to pass as white, and could marry a white man to avoid discrimination. This option causes Harriet stress, because she loves her African heritage and does not feel it is dignified to conceal it.

Harriet’s mother tells her that her brother Tom used his fair skin to successfully integrate into white society. Tom’s success convinces Harriet that she can do so as well. Jefferson helps to teach her the customs and behaviors of educated, upper-class white women. Mister Randolph’s wife gives Harriet an education in subjects including French, music, and literature. When Mister Randolph connects Harriet with a white man named Thad Sandridge, he hopes that they will fall in love and marry. Harriet finds that Thad is very kind and against the institution of slavery. He offers to be her friend and to marry her if she wishes. Harriet accepts the proposal and gets married near Monticello. She makes plans to travel to Washington City to live with him several months later.

Beverley, Harriet’s younger brother, develops similar plans for passing as a white person. He runs away from the estate and enrolls in a university. Harriet supports Beverley’s endeavor but regrets that she and her siblings must all conceal their African heritage. At the end of the novel, Harriet says her final farewells to her mother and Jefferson at Monticello. She makes her way to Washington City, where she anticipates joining Thad and being a free woman. A classic story about racial passing, Wolf by the Ears illuminates the harsh trade-offs between identity and freedom that African-American people had to negotiate during the dark era of American slavery.