Critical Review of All Souls Rising by Madison Smart Bells - Essay Example

? All Souls’ Rising Critical Review Number} The Americas have historically witnessed only one slave revolution which erupted in 1791 as thousands of slaves on Saint-Domingue rose up against their oppressive and brutal masters. It must be kept in mind that Saint-Domingue was the most profitable colony within the eighteenth century era on the Atlantic domain of islands. The uprising remained successful in the sense that the rebellious slaves forced their French masters to declare emancipation in a few years time. The decision of the French administration on the island was ratified by the French revolutionaries in 1794 and this decision quickly challenged the previously accepted norms of the master slave relationship. The entire Americas domain was shaken up as the emancipation on Saint-Domingue became public knowledge. One of the largest disturbances from the Saint-Domingue experiences was for the American South where the economy was predominantly based on slave manpower. However the revolution of slaves in Saint-Domingue holds more than meets the eye. The composition of whites, mulattos and blacks meant that society was already in a precarious balance that the revolution upset. As a reaction to the changes introduced by the revolution the various strata of society began taking steps to increase their influence. The pivotal role for the balance of power play lay with the mulattos in society who were obliged to corroborate with the blacks and the whites alike. The British and Spanish conquest only added to the panic and confusion in society. The invasion was dealt with by an uprising lead by an ex slave Toussaint who was supposedly prepared by the whites in order to decimate the blacks in the shorter run and the mulattos in the longer run. The overall objective of the whites was to restore the previous order. The novel penned by Madison Smart Bells All Souls’ Rising also portrays this precarious situation and the immense power plays that occurred. In order to understand the issue better it would be relevant to wade through the novel within historical context. The novel depicts the grand blancs (who are members of the white elite) as conceiving a slave rebellion in order to augment their political needs and desires. As the story progresses it becomes clear that the highly esteemed Bayon de Libertat who is the owner of the slave rebellion leader Toussaint is also part of the conspirators. The slave rebellion leader is shown as being handpicked by the white power elite in order to serve their nefarious purposes. Here consideration must be provided to the political problems of the grand blancs as the French Revolution was at its zenith by 1791 however the King was still in place on the throne. On the other hand the petit blancs, the day laborers, white craftsmen and poor ne’er do wells had already taken up arms and adopted the red cockade of the revolution. These groups had by this point in time taken to rebellion in Saint Domingue and had managed to capture Port au Prince which was a direct threat to the power of the grand blancs. Given also that this was the most profitable island in the Atlantic, its loss was not acceptable for the grand blancs. The problem became all the more complicated as the Estates de General declared by decree in May 1791 that all free property owning mulattos in Saint Domingue would be given full citizenship. Consequently the red cockaded petit blancs became overwhelmingly outraged by this decision. In a similar manner the white cockaded grand blancs were also outraged at such a decision by the government. However the white cockaded grand blancs contend that they cannot win the war against the petit blancs and the free mulatto calls for full citizenship at the same time. In order to deal with these threats the stratagem of the slave rebellion was created. The plan of action suggests that when the slave rebellion occurs the petit blancs would be neutralized and will try to unite with the whites in order to quell the black slave rebellion. However for such a process they would be pressed to bargain for a fight against the mulattos. Given such a progression of events the grand blancs would be provided with enough time to build up their political and military power in order to deal with the petit blancs when such time comes. The basic assumption here is that the slave rebellion can actually be contained and the members of the grand blanc are confident that they can defeat the slave rebellion when and where they desire as has been done in the past. The key figure Maltrot expresses these views in the critical meeting where the action plan is ratified as: "'It's a marriage of convenience. Temporarily, so long as our interests coincide, however long it takes to dispose of that mob of petit blancs at Port-au-Prince. Afterward,' he waved his sticky fingers airily, 'everything will return to the way it was before.'" Bell’s novel is distinguished in the sense that the characters that he has created to portray the problems of the day are highly believable and seem like real people in how they behave. Given the characterization of the major characters it is possible to conclude that the overall struggle depicted in the novel is a slave rebellion being manipulated by power hungry elite in order to serve their own purposes. It is pertinent to explore Bell’s characters further in order to discern how the novelist has portrayed the aforementioned sentiment. The novel’s central white figure is played out by Antoine Herbert who is a French physician recently descended from France. His sympathies are shown as clandestine while his major aim is to locate his sister and to aid her with her plantation’s management. Through stroke of fate he lives in both camps at different times as a prisoner at Toussaint’s camp and then as a refugee in La Cap where he is placed on the largesse of the grand blancs. The doctor is shown as learning a large amount of herbal medicine from Toussaint which in turn provides strong grounds for respect. Moreover Toussaint’s various roles as the revolution’s leader and as a herbal healer are brought into the limelight. Herbert depends on Toussaint for his survival though he later works against Toussaint’s objectives in the grand blancs company which reflects on the state of his loyalty. This clearly indicates that Herbert manipulates Toussaint for his personal benefit through and in the immediate aftermath of the revolution. Overall Herbert is not concerned about how things proceed for the black slaves and the mulattos. Instead he is far more concerned about his personal problems and agendas and is willing to forgo companionship with the black slaves in order to augment his personal agendas. In contrast we are presented with the character of Captain Mallart who is a royalist as well as a grand blanc and a close friend to Dr. Herbert. The captain is astonished at the slave rebellion occurring in the beginning but as the novel progresses he is far more astonished at the Jacobin sympathies of Commissioner Sonthonax. Given the circumstances the captain decides to collaborate with the Spanish and to fight for them under the flag of Toussaint. Within this change there is a large tale unfolding as a white military man who despises the black slaves is eventually led to fighting under a black slave leader. The act of obedience towards a black man by a white man represents a watershed for the captain because the captain initially finds the idea reprehensible and finds himself incapable of filling such a role. However the switch of sides that the captain undertook is far more stable than that for Dr. Herbert as the captain sticks his neck out for ideology rather than fulfillment of his own myopic purposes. The captain realizes that change is inevitable and so becomes a part of the change rather than its opposition. With a greater historical context we are presented with the image of Leger-Felicite Sonthonax who has been given an extremely unflattering image. The self aggrandizing activities of Sonthonax are underscored by the author to a large extent. Given the behavior displayed by Sonthonax the argument that he was trying to preserve Saint Domingue as a colony of revolutionary France is both overwhelming and undeniable. His placement on the island as the Commissioner places important responsibilities with him and in order to discharge those responsibilities Sonthonax leaves no stone unturned. His manipulation of the black slaves to augment the overall purposes of the grand blancs is also undeniable and so his change of attitudes to slavery are temporal and with good purpose behind them. In a similar stint there are a number of other smaller characters such as the cruel slave owner Arnaud, the cunning and charming wife of the leading grand blanc Madame Cigny and Madame Arnaud who rises to achieve her total potential in the revolution amongst others who manipulate the blacks and mulattos to achieve their purposes. In contrast there is the sad portrait of the renegade Catholic priest Pere Bonne who is portrayed as changing his already benign attitude towards slaves during and after the revolution. Such people are sown to change their attitudes with sincerity for the black and mulatto causes. Conclusively it can be said that the change of attitudes towards the black and mulatto population by the white population has both positive and negative connotations. The major change of attitudes is self centered while a few whites are genuinely sincere to the slave rebellion and its objectives. Read More