Interpretations of a slave in “The Heroic Slave” and “Benito Cereno”
There are three major interpretations of the slave in literature: the good human being who is forced to live their live as a slave, the slave who’s mind, body and soul are broken because of slavery, and the slave who’s mind is twisted and becomes a monster because of the institution of slavery. These views of slavery are prevalent in abolitionist literature because they focus on the evils of slavery rather than the evils of the men who support slavery. In Fredrick Douglas’s “The Heroic Slave”, Douglas presents the reader with Madison Washington: a good man and a loving father and husband. In Herman Melville’s Benito Cereno one is presented with the figure of Babo: a demented and twisted individual who is willing to do anything to regain his freedom. These two images of slavery are used because a writer can show both that slaves are human and legitimize their “evil” deeds as being forced by the institutions of slavery.
Equiano’s “Narrative” and Jacobs’ “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl”
Jacobs lead a very easy life for a slave. Being born into a kind family and having a grandmother to watch out for her allowed her to have a childhood that was almost enviable, although she was mistreated after her original mistress died she never had to experience the brutal torture many slaves faced at the hands of their masters. Many would wonder why she ran away from her home and family when her life was not all that bad and could get a lot worse, however even though her life was not in constant danger of physical abuse she was still a slave and subject to her master’s every whim. This situation alone is enough to make a person risk life and limb to be able to reach freedom.
Unlike Jacobs, Equiano was not born a slave and instead was captured at the age of 11 by slave traders, however he did not immediately get shipped to the Americas as slaves but instead his first master was from another tribe.
“Beloved” the Effect of Sethe’s Abuse on Her Husband and Herself
The scene begins with Paul D asking Sethe why she did not consider Halle a good man, Sethe says that Halle abandoned her and her children, and for that reason she did not consider him a good husband or father any longer. Paul D reveals to her that Halle witnessed what had happened to her in the barn shortly before she left and it had broken him. In response, Sethe tells Paul D about what happened in the barn and the treatment she received at the hands of the schoolmaster and his nephews, a decade before on the Sweet Home plantation.
For Halle witnessing the incident, broke what little humanity he had as a slave. As a result of the incident, he realized that he was just a powerless slave and it shattered his entire life’s view; although his action could have stopped that specific incident he would not have been able to stop it the next time or the time after that.
Moral - The Evil in Savery.
Although some see evil as commonplace and slavery a “natural” phenomenon, this simple is not true. Evil can change from one location to another; in some societies eating the dead is a religious experience however for others it is a great evil. Yes, there is evil and yes, it is common, but what is evil? Is slavery truly evil? Are not all humans slave to some job? Without performing their job they would die from lack of sustenance. Hunter/gatherers are slaves to the environment; agriculturists are slaves to the land; industrialists are slaves to the factory; and modern office workers are slaves to their computers. What is truly the difference between these types of subsistence and being a slave to a human? Is the reasoning behind slavery is evil that it puts one man in control of another? Yet, parents control their children; bosses control their workers; the rich control the poor; the government controls us all.
