A Girl Called Samson

Based on the real-life figure of Deborah Samson, who served in the Continental Army under the name Robert Shurtliff, the novel is set during the late 18th century, a time of significant upheaval and transformation in America. As the novel depicts Samson’s determination to fight for her country, the author raises questions about what kind of nation America should become. The text highlights a number of social issues facing the 13 colonies, including enslavement, indentured servitude, and restrictions on women’s rights. Throughout the novel, Harmon examines the protagonist’s resistance to the intersectional injustices that she experiences due to her class and gender. In addition, the text finds creative ways to criticize many different abuses of wealth and power. For example, the author uses the character of Van Tassel to examine the injustices of enslavement for he is an affluent loyalist who enslaves Morris and his family. Additional abuses of power are critiqued when General Paterson condemns the lavish party that General Washington throws when many of the Continental Army’s soldiers are underpaid and underfed.

It is also important to note that Harmon exercises creative license in her depiction of Deborah Samson’s life. The historical Samson served under General Paterson, but there is no evidence of a romantic relationship developing between them. To allow for the development of a romantic theme, Harmon’s version of the story depicts Paterson as a widower, but the real Elizabeth Paterson outlived her husband by decades. In addition, Harmon invents the friendship and years of correspondence between Elizabeth Paterson and Deborah in order to enhance the novel’s characterization and structure. Historically, Samson’s identity as a woman was indeed exposed after she contracted yellow fever in Philadelphia. However, it was Dr. Barnabas Binney rather than General Paterson “who championed her and actually brought her into his home until she recovered” (396). As in the novel, the real Samson was granted an honorable discharge in 1783. Two years later, she married a Massachusetts farmer named Benjamin Gannet. The couple had three children together and adopted an indentured servant. Harmon draws inspiration from these true events, but she alters Samson’s life story to depict a fictional romance between the protagonist and General Paterson.