When a young slave witnesses a ruthless murder, he decides he must succeed in spite of the hovering shadow of his violent upbringing.

SYNOPSIS:

While the obvious scope of Denby describes how the violence sustained during slavery stays with those who survived it, the story was not written to simply show how violent slavery was. The wider purpose is to acknowledge that for those who have experienced trauma in their lives, the impact of that trauma manifests itself in ways--often intrusive--that force the survivor to live under the shadow of those experiences.

Denby consists of two acts:

i. details the murder of a slave named Bill Denby;

The story begins with the murder of a slave, Willard, after he trespasses onto a neighbor's farm. We are introduced to Bill Denby and his young companion, Jesper. As the day progresses we are introduced to two overseers, Orson Gore and Atticus Wilson. The former being the senior overseer. The story progresses to a confrontation between Bill and Orson, which ends in Bill's murder. Jesper is left wondering how he will survive without his protector, and Frederick, who is preparing to leave for a new home, is shocked. Frederick overhears the fallout from the event, where Orson is replaced as senior overseer by Atticus.

ii. details the effects seeing such violence can effect the life of an observer.

The second act is a montage of Frederick's life after his move from the Lloyd Plantation. It details the major points in his difficult upbringing, and some of the trials, tribulations, and successes he experienced through his life. The effects of his traumatic upbringing shows itself in strange ways throughout his adult life.

Additionally, we experience the Lloyd Plantation during the events of one single day. We get a sense of the work required of slaves, different levels of relationships, and how those interact when there is trouble afoot.

DENBY