March: Chapter 6 Summary & Analysis

March recalls arriving in March 1862 at Oak Landing, a cotton plantation in the South leased by a young Northern lawyer, Ethan Canning. March describes the journey in a letter to Margaret, detailing the landscape and river as monotonous and treacherous. Privately, March remembers witnessing the violent sinking of a Confederate ship, after which he comforted dying soldiers and falsely posed as a Catholic priest to hear a confession. However, he does not put any of this in his letter. Eager to begin his new role helping formerly enslaved people, March anticipates finally being able to honestly share his experiences with Margaret.

Upon arrival at Oak Landing, March is disappointed to find only a sickly, quiet boy named Josiah waiting for him, rather than Canning. As they walk slowly toward the house, Josiah refuses March’s offer to ride his mule, fearing punishment in a place called “the hole.” The boy’s fear troubles March, but he dismisses it as a relic of slavery. Reaching the once-grand plantation house at dusk, March meets Ethan Canning, who is young, limping, and irritated. Looking around, March sees that soldiers and looters have stripped the house bare. Over a sparse dinner, Canning explains the plantation’s dire state, describing how half the former enslaved people ran away and returned only reluctantly, delaying the harvest and reducing profits.

Canning’s cynical attitude toward the former enslaved people surprises March. Canning believes they exaggerate illness and must be pushed hard to work. March initially dismisses these comments as insensitive, but when shown to his sleeping quarters—a cottonseed-filled storehouse—he realizes the situation is quite dire. Early next morning, seeking water from the well house, March discovers an emaciated Black man named Zeke trapped at the bottom of a dry well, punishment imposed by Canning for stealing a hog. Zeke claims he took the hog only to feed his starving children, saying bitterly that little has improved under Northern rule, as wages have not been paid.

March confronts Canning about Zeke, but Canning angrily explains Zeke’s sons are Confederate soldiers, and he was feeding the enemy. March, still disturbed, spends the day exploring the plantation, observing harsh working conditions, particularly for children and elderly people, who appear ill and malnourished. March sees the slave quarters where infants lie neglected, cared for by a single old woman who also tends gravely ill adults suffering untreated fevers. March is shocked and decides to demand immediate changes.

When March confronts Canning again, he learns that Canning had unsuccessfully sought medical aid from the Union army, who refused help, viewing the formerly enslaved as less valuable than livestock. Canning admits feeling overwhelmed, arguing he lacks resources and expertise to handle medical issues, childcare, and agriculture simultaneously. Despite his anger, March realizes Canning’s cruelty arises partly from exhaustion and desperation rather than pure malice. March suggests solutions, including better childcare arrangements, which Canning reluctantly considers, though he maintains that harsh discipline is essential to productivity.

Canning also reveals deeper troubles, explaining he invested all his money and borrowed heavily to lease the plantation. With half the cotton crop ruined, he risks financial ruin. March proposes appealing for financial aid from wealthy abolitionist contacts in the North, suggesting donations to improve food, clothing, and medical care for the workers. Canning, skeptical but desperate, agrees to support March’s plan. That evening, March and Canning discuss details of this hopeful scheme during dinner. The situation makes March reflect bitterly on his own past wealth, which was lost pursuing abolitionist causes, leaving his family impoverished.