A Perplexing Question

         I enjoyed reading Hopkins’ “As the Lord Lives, He Is One of Our Mother’s Children” and loved that Rev. Stevens saved Stone’s life, even after he read the poster with the $1,500 reward.  This made me think, if another person had found Stone in the river, would they have later turned Stone in for the reward?

         I think this is an interesting thing to ponder because do you think Rev. Stevens just saved Stone’s life because he was a man that served the Lord and read the Bible?  Did other factors play into his decision to let Stone live?  Did race have anything to do with it, since Stone looked white? 

         I think this is a hard question to answer and honestly, I think if another Christian man would have found Stone and then read the poster, he would have been more likely than not to turn in Stone and get the reward.  I say this because I think back on past readings, such as The Narrative of Fredrick Douglass and the instances where the Christian people are the ones that are the most hypocritical and treated African Americans the worst.  I wish I could say that I think most people would not take the reward and would have chose to save Stone’s life, but I think that many people in this time would have turned him because of the societal view that African Americans are bad.  Most people would not have gone straight to Stone like Rev. Stevens did and ask for the facts; people would have assumed the worst after finding out he was an African American and supposedly was running from the law.

         I think the end, when Stone risks his own life for Rev. Stevens and his son, displays the kind of man Stone was; one of integrity, honor, and thankfulness toward Rev. Stone for all that he had done for him.  He was willing to give up his own life for Rev. Stevens and his son.  This also leads me to question what would have happened if Stone had not been there to save Rev. Stevens and his son?