The Kitchen House

The kitchen house is the physical space where Belle, the main kitchen help, lives. It’s a building that sits close enough to the big house that the slaves can transport food back and forth easily, but it’s far enough away to clearly separate it from the big house. The kitchen house is symbolic of Belle’s struggle between two worlds and of Lavinia’s understanding of home.

Once Belle leaves the big house, the kitchen house becomes her home. The kitchen house symbolizes her fall from James’s grace. Once, she lived in the luxury and open affection of James in his well-furnished home, and now lives in the minimal kitchen house as a slave. Belle’s move to the kitchen house symbolizes that she is no longer his daughter but a slave. It also makes the statement that he loves her secretly; the kitchen house, although slave housing, is incredibly nicer than the slave quarters that house the field slaves. Whereas the field slaves have rampant sickness, little to eat, and lean-to shelters, the kitchen house has delicious food and is well-insulated. Letting Belle be the head kitchen help and live in the kitchen house is James’s way of demonstrating his love for Belle.