Chains That Bind

SYNOPSIS OF THE CHAINS THAT BIND.

“The chains that bind” is a story of one man’s initial desire to seek reparation for the descendants of slaves. As a descendant of slaves, he believes those who continue to enjoy the wealth and privileges their forefathers gained from the practice of slavery, should be held accountable for such reparation.

Elena Newcomb had endured considerable hardships as a person of colour following the death her mother who had herself suffered severe adversity. After being savagely beaten on the instructions of her Black pimp, Jerome Johnson, Elena meets Chad Wilson, a mild Englishman, who falls in love with her and eventually marries her. Elena has a son Wayne, the central character in the story, whose father is a South African farmer. As a youngster growing up in London Wayne is exposed to the seedier side of life and characters in the city’s east end. Convinced he is correct in acting for those unable to protect themselves Wayne assumed the role of a vigilante. Although he is not physically involved in attaining revenge for victims he had witnessed being persecuted in any way, through using his intelligence he ensures their tormentors suffer retribution.

Wayne becomes a successful, intelligent, urbane businessman who cannot accept slavery as being merely a dark chapter in the history of European slave traders. A highly complex man who combines generosity with intolerance, Wayne uses those in his debt to willingly carry out his immoral bidding. He commits himself to destroying some of those businessmen whose families gained from slavery and attained a privileged existence from the actions of their forefathers. In the process, Wayne meets Susan Carter a well -educated professional business woman who is the vice president of Raymond Barnes’ company and one which Wayne Newton intends destroying.

Susan is engaged to Julien Morris a man who harbours a hidden desire for women of colour and becomes a victim of Wayne’s machination’s. Wayne seduces Susan but remains aloof from her after having destroyed her relationship with Julien while almost destroying his company.

When Elena and others who matter to Wayne are murdered he pursues Jerome Johnson relentlessly with the assistance of his own killers and eventually gains revenge on the man who has tormented him from an early age but in the process Wayne questions the possibility that he is no better than the man who murdered his mother.

Jacquie Bretton is related to Julien Morris through marriage and when she visits him in England, she meets Wayne and during their journey through Australia they fall in love. Wayne subsequently visits Jacquie in South Africa and discovers they are related. While in South Africa, by drawing comparisons between Black people in Africa and those who have either emigrated to Britain or are in fact descendants of slaves, Wayne can no longer entertain the radical views he once harboured. He begins to lose his enmity toward those he previously wished to destroy when he questions the possibility of genes, environment, nurture or nature which drives man’s proclivity for violence and evil rather than an individual’s code of ethics.