Toliver's Secret

In these chapters, Higgins emerges as Ellen’s ally and mentor. Since Higgins is a British soldier, this complicates Ellen’s ideas of who the “good” and “bad” guys are in the Revolutionary War. Higgins serves as a positive model for how an adult can help a child through a circumstance when a bully confronts the child.

The first thing he does is “[e]xplain that it’s the bully who is behaving badly” (Orchinik, Leah J. “Helping Kids Deal With Bullies.” Nemours Kids Health). When Dow exhibits bad behavior, Dow tells Ellen: “Bullies are like that” (87), and he scolds Dow “sharply,” saying, “You scare the boy” (86). Higgins points out the bad behavior and makes it clear to Ellen that Dow’s behavior isn’t her fault but the characteristics of a bully.

Higgins’ second good action is reminding Ellen that “they’re not alone — a lot of people get bullied at some point” (“Helping Kids Deal With Bullies”). Higgins tells Ellen, “When I was a boy I had a brother who pestered me like that” (87). He relates to Ellen and empathizes with her. He also tells her how he addressed his own childhood circumstances, hoping it will help Ellen find a solution to her own problem. Higgins demonstrates compassion and helpfulness that leaves Ellen feeling like “Higgins is my good friend—even if he is one of the enemy” (103). Though Higgins is ultimately a British soldier, his support helps give Ellen the bravery she needs to get through challenging circumstances.

As these chapters unfold, Ellen begins to face a new type of challenge. Previously, the external conflict Ellen faced was about reaching Elizabeth with the bread. For instance, boys chased her into a part of town she didn’t know, setting her off track, and there were no oysterman boats. Ellen continues to face this type of challenge: She arrives in Amboy, 10 miles in a straight line from Elizabeth and 13 by road. However, she begins to face a new type of external challenge as the people around her begin to suspect her identity. When Dow is insulting the Patriot soldiers, he looks closely at Ellen and says she’s “mighty pretty for a boy. Almost as pretty as a girl” (83). Ellen isn’t sure what will happen to her if her real gender is discovered, but she knows that it would draw attention to herself, which would both delay her time-sensitive mission and put Grandfather’s message at risk of being discovered. Due to Traditional 18th-Century Gender Roles, it would be considered improper and scandalous for a young girl to be dressed as a boy alone on a ship surrounded by rowdy British soldiers.

Ellen’s gender is almost discovered again when she arrives at the Murdock household and Mrs. Murdock asks Ellen to take her breeches off to dry by the fire. Here, the reason for Ellen’s fear of discovery becomes more evident. Ellen doesn’t know how she can satisfactorily explain why she’s dressed as a boy and thinks that “[o]nly spies and criminals went around pretending to be someone else” (129). She thinks that being perceived as duplicitous about her gender will be conflated with duplicity about larger matters. This moment explores The Impact of War on Individuals and Families as Mrs. Murdock tries forcibly taking Ellen’s breeches off her. Though this behavior is inappropriate, Mrs. Murdock reasons that there “will be no riding out where those soldiers are tonight,” as she doesn’t want Mr. Murdock to “ge[t] shot,” leaving her alone with four sons (130). Mrs. Murdock’s fears are based on the reality of wartime violence, but her fear leads her to behave in a way that scares Ellen, who runs away.

Ellen is also outright suspected of being a spy. While Grandfather initially claimed that a boy with a loaf of bread wouldn’t draw attention, the lengths Ellen goes to hang on to an ordinary object makes Mr. Murdock suspicious. When Ellen dives into a stream to get her dropped bread, Mr. Murdock remarks that his “wife would give you another loaf” (119). Ellen’s preference for the soggy loaf makes him wonder if she’s “got something inside that bread?” (122). Ellen bluffs that she’d get in trouble if she lost it, but Mr. Murdock’s words indicate the danger of having a message hidden in a so-called “ordinary” object that one would not typically go to great lengths to protect.

The Impact of War on Individuals and Families is shown in the details Ellen observes as she makes her journey. When she disembarks, she notices Scottish Highlanders and German Hessians, evidence of how England expanded its fighting capacity by recruiting auxiliaries to fight with them. Their presence in New Jersey demonstrates that the Patriots are facing a formidable foe in the English. Ellen’s inability to hire a stagecoach, because the British have requisitioned them directly, impacts her mission, forcing her to walk the long distance from Amboy to Elizabeth. Finally, when she rides with Murdock, she notices many deserted and boarded-up homes, a testimony to the personal devastation experienced by many colonists during the Revolutionary War.