Not Even a Day is Built in a Day

            There is a common phrase that reads, “Good things come to those who wait.” This expression is most likely rooted in the Bible, specifically in the book of Psalms.  After reading E.W. Harper’s “Learning to Read” and Charles Chestnutt’s “The Wife of his Youth,” I had to do some waiting before coming to a realization that was worthy of documentation.

            The woman named Chloe in Harper’s poem helped bring some specific Bible verses to mind. Psalm 27:14 says to “wait for the Lord; Be strong; and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord.” Chloe had to be patient and wait many years before she had the opportunity and freedom to learn to read. As Kaity Wegen said in her blog, there was not one specific “Aha!” moment, because gaining understanding of the poem was more of a “gradual process,” just as the process of literary freedom for slaves did not happen over night

            There is a female character in Chesnutt’s short story by the name of Liza Jane. She is very similar to Chloe in her patient waiting for what she knew to be true and worth waiting for. She had spent the last twenty-five years loyally searching for the husband of her youth after they had been separated during the war. Her faithfulness is comparable to Biblical faithfulness, especially in the book of Hebrews when Abraham’s faith and patience are tested. Liza Jane, just as Abraham, “after waiting patiently…received what was promised” (Hebrews 6:15).

            My final realization occurred when a parallel was drawn between the poem and the story. The lengthy struggle of patience and obedience that Chloe and Liza Jane endure embody the abolition movement. The cause of abolition did not appear overnight, and it took many years to bring awareness and support to the cause, but eventually they achieved their goal. The abolitionists faced innumerable obstacles, just as Liza Jane was doubted to “really…find her husband” (Chestnutt), and Chloe was told that she was “too late” (Harper) to waste her time attempting to learn to read at her old age.  The women’s unchanging devotion to their individual causes is the same devotion found among abolitionists to their cause.