Freedom Crossing

In Freedom Crossing, the distant howl of bloodhounds symbolizes the Fugitive Act of 1850, which was given the nickname “The Bloodhound Bill” by abolitionists of the time. This act, which required all caught fugitives to be returned to their owners, is the primary obstacle in the book. Margaret Goff Clark’s repeated use of the sound imagery of the howling dogs gives the book a tone of dread and reminds the reader that the slave catchers, like the sound of the dogs, are a pervasive and unpredictable threat.

The dogs make an appearance on the first page of the book, as Laura lies awake in bed, unable to get back to sleep. As she listens to the sounds of the night outside her window, “A moment later [comes] the mournful howling of a pack of dogs” (1). The sound frightens her, and she wishes that she still had her childhood dog, Prince, to protect her.

Later, Martin startles at the sound of the hounds. When Laura asks how they can be tracking him, Martin replies, “I guess after my master hired a slave catcher, he gave him an old shoe of mine or something.