The Final Affair: James and Sally Vie for Freedom in Jefferson in Paris

By Kristina Gonzalez

[1] Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, screenwriter for Jefferson in Paris, successfully concludes his story by providing the final elements to each of the main characters’ storyline. This final scene between Thomas Jefferson, James Hemings, and Sally Hemings effectively portrays the dynamics of character transformation and reveals the strong attributes of each role (2:07:23).

[2] James powerfully enters the scene followed by a silent and timid Sally Hemings. His intentions are clearly conveyed in both his poise and facial expression. He confidently demands that his master Thomas Jefferson accept that under French law he and Sally have the right to claim freedom in Paris. This version of James surprises the audience and raises curiosity about where the obedient and intimidated slave boy disappeared to. Jefferson unexpectedly reacts after little contemplation by calmly agreeing to grant freedom to James, Sally, and the child she is expecting. James further pushes his boundaries with Jefferson by requesting that he swear this promise of freedom on the Bible. It is amazing James possesses the audacity to do this considering how scared he was earlier asking Jefferson for wages (0:15:30).

[3] In response to James’s demand, Jefferson initially seems cooperative, composed, and logical in his thinking. He promises to release James under the stipulation that he teaches the art of French cookery to another person placed under him, considering that Jefferson brought him to Paris originally for this purpose at great expense. As the scene progresses, Jefferson’s political face becomes prominent. He uses his rhetoric to manipulate his uneducated slaves into traveling back to Monticello as opposed to freeing them in Paris. When James claims his freedom, Jefferson transforms the situation from a firm agreement to a compromised decision. He allows his eloquence and ambassadorial style to dominate the entire affair, especially as it pertains to Sally.

[4] Jefferson asks Sally whether she truly desires to be freed or not (2:09). As opposed to simply inquiring, Jefferson tells her to “think very carefully” in a way that speaks volumes about his desire to keep her with him. Sally immediately breaks down and begins to cry, asking the question, “But where do I go?” This is the first and only time the audience catches a glimpse of the affection and sympathy Jefferson feels for her. For an extremely brief second, Jefferson drops his professional façade to physically respond instinctually to Sally’s present state.

[5] In contrast to his behavior in the earlier “Head versus Heart” game (0:27:04), it appears that here Jefferson does not know how to respond to his heart and instead reverts to using his head. This strategy is evident when he proposes that Sally and her children stay at Monticello under his care as opposed to letting her free. He is so heavily concerned with his own interests that he tells himself he has no other option than to protect her. Jefferson only swears to make her a free woman after his death, indicating his plans to spend his life with her siring more mulatto children. In fact, when he brings his daughter, Patsy, into the room to assure that his wishes are carried out, he subtly declares his intention of impregnating Sally several more times.

[6] Sally’s inability to express herself is more apparent in this scene than in that of any other included in the movie. From the minute she first steps foot into the presence of Jefferson, she keeps her eyes averted from him and never says a word. James speaks of her freedom for her, and the decisions made regarding her life are implicitly forced upon her. Jefferson takes advantage of her vulnerability and makes her believe she has no place else to go if she accepts her fate as a free woman. Consequently, she agrees to stay enslaved at Monticello, locked in the affair Jefferson begins when she is fifteen years old. The final frame of the film shows the transformation of Sally Hemings from a vivacious, shameless, and innocent little girl to a sullen, troubled woman laden by her unexpected pregnancy. Compared to Barbara Chase-Riboud’s vision of a strong and independent woman in her earlier novel Sally Hemings (1979), Jhabvala creates here a wreck of a woman torn apart as a result of her infatuation with her master and her indecisive attitude toward her chance to be free.