Criticism on Our Nig or Sketches from the Life of a Free Black Novel - Term Paper Example

?Criticism on Our Nig or Sketches from the Life of a Free Black Introduction Our Nig or Sketches from the Life of a Free Black is considered as the first novel written in English by an African American. The novel combines elements of various genres such as sentimental novels, gothic romance, slave narrative as well as satire in order to depict the experiences of a mulatto who has been indentured as a servant in the antebellum North America. This novel was formally considered the work of a white male and was discarded for its literary value. Only recently in 1983 this book was discovered by Henry Louis Gate Junior and was published accordingly. The publication of this novel has triggered a massive debate within African American literary circles as to the novel’s origin as well as its true purpose. 2. Author’s Biographical Information The novel was authored by Harriet E. Wilson in 1859 when it was first published but there is little information on the life of the author. What is known about her is mostly sketchy and often disputed. The novel has also been considered as the author’s autobiography with certain changes as to the facts. The 1860 Boston federal census shows that Harriet E. Adams was born in either 1807 or 1808 in the Fredericksburg area of Virginia while on the other hand the 1850 New Hampshire federal census shows that Harriet E. Adams was born in either 1827 or 1828 in New Hampshire and resided in Milford, New Hampshire. Moreover this census lists her as living with a white family, the Boyleses who might have served as the model for the Bellmonts in the novel. Yet recent research by Barbara A. White shows that Harriet E. Adams lived with the Boyleses family for a small time before moving over to the Hayward family who seem to be a more fitting model for the Bellmonts in the novel. Furthermore, Harriet E. Adams was married to Thomas Wilson in the fall of 1851 and there are chances that both met through the abolitionist movement. However Harriet was abandoned by her husband just nine months after their marriage at a time when she gave birth to a boy named George Mason Wilson in 1852. Harriet Wilson and her son were forced to live in poverty as they had meagre sources of income for financial support. The author then relocated to Boston and left her infant son with a couple in New Hampshire from 1856 to 1863. During this period, Harriet Wilson registered the copyrights for the novel in 1859 and subsequently paid for the novel’s publication using money she had saved working as a seamstress. Upon publication the book failed to grab any attention from literary circles. The next year that is 1860 her son George died and evidence for this is presented in the Farmer’s Cabinet published on 29th of February 1860. The life of Harriet Wilson after 1863 is not documented and there are no records to either disprove or approve of any claims of her death. However a few sources claim that Harriet Wilson breathed her last in 1870 though there is little evidence to support this claim. Harriet Wilson’s novel Our Nig starts out in the preface as a narrative that brings forward her state of poverty and her desire for experimentation in order to gain funds to support herself and her child. She remarks in the preface that her “crude narrations” could easily be improved upon by “abler pens” which reflects on her state of mind. She further delineates her circumstances by saying that she was forced “to some experiment” through the causes of “deserted by kindred, disabled by failing health” in order for her “maintaining myself and child” (Preface, p. i). The preface in itself supports little what is known of the life of Harriet Wilson and provides a clear image of her circumstances. Given these circumstances and three letters attached to the appendix of the novel, it can be assumed that Wilson’s work represents both sentiment and exchange. Wilson can be seen exchanging her life experiences for funds to support herself and her child. Ironically the mergers of both sentimentalism and her ideas on exchange have provided a uniquely complex image in the novel. This very image may have actually dissuaded the very readers that Wilson may have actually intended to capture for her novel. Moreover this novel represents a unique flavour and character in the antebellum North that was more accustomed to distinct slave narrative and sentimentalist pieces of literature. The merger of a slave narrative and sentimentalist attitudes in this novel presented something that regular audiences were not ready to accept at this point in time in literary history. Another common thing between other slave narratives and Our Nig is the enslaved person’s question to God over why they are black and the enslaver is white. The question of why a moral God would not “make us both white?” (page 51) persists throughout the early sections of the book especially as Frado is beaten and receives little support from the Bellmont family. This question also clearly indicates that being black was more or less of a curse or an offence in contemporary America and the slaves themselves feared being associated to the blacks based on the colour of the skin. If this perspective of the novel is explored further it is clear that a slave narrative is being established along with hints of sentimentalism. The question of Christianity and its fleeting values are also brought into question in this part of the text. Though Mrs. Bellmont constantly keeps mistreating Frado over and over but she still does her best to draw Frado close to Christian values. Frado is seen constantly struggling to deal with a world that is not governed by morality though it is advertised over and over. Instead Frado’s world is governed only by Mrs. Bellmont’s impulses. James, the Bellmont’s son tells Frado that “you won’t be whipped” if she would “try to be a good girl”. In response Frado only cries and responds that “If I do, I get whipped” (pages 50-51). Similarly Mrs. Bellmont keeps enforcing Christian values onto Frado and tells her that “if she did not stop trying to be religious, she would whip her to death” (page 104). Ironically Frado is being pushed into Christian values through coercion and threats as well as continual abuse. Frado does not come close to Christian values for a long time until James falls ill later in the novel and his piety convinces Frado to come close to Christian values (page 51). This brings forth the sentimentalist attitude of the novel and forces the reader to sympathise with the poor slave girl who is caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. The author reflects on the death of Mrs. Bellmont as “an agony in death – unspeakable” and this offers some form of poetic justice to the narrative. The end of the book appeals to the readers to support Harriet Wilson or Frado through purchases of the novel by banking on the sympathy of the readers. Therefore the sentimentalist attitude in the novel cannot be denied nor can it be over advertised. 3. Contexts, Genres and Themes Harriet Wilson’s work cannot be confined to one genre alone and can be seen as a reflection of different genres while not encompassing each fully. If this work is treated purely as a novel then the tone is heavily autobiographical while if this work is treated as an autobiography then it is highly structured like a novel. The narrative relates the tale of slavery from the point of view of an enslaved person and can thus be classified as a “slave’s narrative”. However paradoxically the novel is set in an environment where one would not expect to find such kind of slavery. Moreover this novel has many trappings of a typical antebellum sentimental novel but can be seen as exposing the failing nature of sentiments as well as expressing the potential for hypocrisy in it. Through an active cultivation of these genres and by “talking back”, Harriet Wilson can be seen as voicing her story and possibly that of others. This also provides a reflection into the exclusion suffered by African American authors in the literature of the antebellum North. It cannot be denied that Our Nig shares common ground with slave narratives. Perhaps the most tell tale sign is the extended title of the novel that states “Sketches from the Life of a Free Black, in a Two-Storey White House, North, Showing that Slavery’s Shadows Fall Even There”. Similar to most slave narratives the author is enslaved based on distinctions of race and colour and is constantly subjected to brutality which has negative consequences for her physical as well as emotional well being. In much the similar manner as Fredrick Douglas during his battle with the “slave-breaker” Covey, the author also reaches a breaking point where she realises that she must resist in order for her to survive. The onset of this resistance serves as the watershed in this story and provides clues to her eventual escape from the torturous Mrs. Bellmont. This turning point can be more clearly indicated from the excerpt provide below from the original text: It was not long before an opportunity offered of profiting by his advice. She was sent for wood, and not returning as soon as Mrs. B. calculated, she followed her, and, snatching from the pile a stick, raised it over her. "Stop!" shouted Frado, "strike me, and I'll never work a mite more for you;" and throwing down what she had gathered, stood like one who feels the stirring of free and independent thoughts. By this unexpected demonstration, her mistress, in amazement, dropped her weapon, desisting from her purpose of chastisement. Frado walked towards the house, her mistress following with the wood she herself was sent after. She did not know, before, that she had a power to ward off assaults. Her triumph in seeing her enter the door with her burden, repaid her for much of her former suffering. It was characteristic of Mrs. B. never to rise in her majesty, unless she was sure she should be victorious. This affair never met with an "after clap," like many others. Wilson, Our Nig, pp. 104-105 In addition to the similarities above, the novel also shares pairing with historical records as well as a bifurcation along racial lines much like other slave narratives of the same period. The setting for Harriet Wilson’s tale is in the North which was idealised by slaves in the South trying to flee persecution. Ironically the persecution Frado goes through comes at the hands of a northern church going woman rather than the wicked southern planter in most other slave narratives. Furthermore when Frado gets married the man is a free African American from the North who “had never seen the South” but who fashioned “illiterate harangues” which acted as “humbugs for hungry abolitionists” (page 128). The novel can also be seen as a masterpiece of wordplay such as the use of the word “White House” which implies the abode of a white family as well as the actual White House according to some narratives to indicate the status quo. Moreover Harriet’s work can also be seen as developing on some famous slave narratives of the day such as that of Fredrick Douglass’ Narrative where he states that “if you give a nigger an inch, he will take an ell” (page 33). In Wilson’s work the “ell” may refer to her quarters above the farmhouse ell located above the kitchen which she refers to as the “L chamber” in order to signify how isolated an African American was from the domestic heart in the North. In another form of irony, Wilson’s appeal at the end of the book indicates that the buyer may actually be contributing to buying her freedom. Another rather interesting aspect of the novel is its evaluation of prevalent domestic ideology because Frado is brutalised by another woman who is a mother herself. If compared to other works within the sentiment genre, this novel has a victimised girl as the main character while the plot shows her developing as a more hardened person as a result of her experiences. The eventual triumph of such sentimental novels is often the fact that the heroine ends up dealing with life and its problems to end up with a more fulfilling and complete life. Most novels within this genre are augmented by Christian values and principles that often lift the central character to triumph. Often the creation of such benevolence and sympathy is done through the use of tears and deeds with a call to the readers to consider the larger social implications. These features can well be seen in similar novels of the day such as Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1851-52) that promotes abolitionism as well as The Lamplighter (1854) that takes an antipoverty line. Harriet’s work is similar to these novels too except in the fact that her triumph never comes through and the novel does not end triumphant. The lack of a clear “victory” at the end of Our Nig can be interpreted in two major ways. For one thing, the victory of Frado actually depends on the reader in the sense that if he purchases the novel then the author may be reunited with her child. Secondly, the people who surround and impact Frado’s life are anti-sentimental creatures towards her largely because of racial differences alone. The feelings of generosity especially generosity generated out of Christian values seems only to be extended to those who share a common race and social class. In a similar manner the end of sentimental novels through marriage is not seen in Harriet’s work as her husband constantly lies to her and cheats her. This implies that the teeming sentimentalism displayed by abolitionist audiences may be little more than big talk than anything else. Other than general themes, Harriet’s novel can be seen tinkering with individual words and terms. For example she refers to Mrs. Bellmont as “Mrs. B” quite often which may be a symbolisation for the already famous Mrs. B who opened up her home to a young female slave. This Mrs. B tends to rule her household using domestic ideology in Uncle Tom’s Cabin when she convinces her senator husband to take in the fugitive slave girl Eliza. On the other hand, the Mrs. B portrayed in Our Nig also takes in a slave girl but her concerns with the girl are for enslavement rather than protection. When these aspects and other sentimental sides to the story are put together, it can be clearly seen that Our Nig is not merely a sentimental tale alone. On the contrary, this novel projects the racism found in the North and blocks out any move to call this work as purely sentimental alone. Given also the fact that Frado is not actually a slave as she is born free, Foreman and Pitts have classified Our Nig within the captivity narratives genre. On the other hand Ellis has also tended to classify this novel with the narratives of New England’s rural life given the kind of settings and conversation involved. Moreover Elizabeth J. West has indicated that this novel tends to redefine the prominent features of nineteenth century conversation narratives. If all of these aspects are considered then it is apparent that the novel is a work of literary prominence. It can also be considered that the novel may have failed at its originally intended purpose which comprised of supporting Harriet Wilson and her son George. This also indicates that the novel Our Nig emphasises the readers to place some value into real sentiment into quarters where “slavery’s shadows still fall” as well as the conception of approaches and genres that bring out the voices that have otherwise been neglected. Hence overall this novel is neither a pure work of sentiment nor a slave narrative alone. Instead, this novel can be seen as a beautiful fusion of either side that appeals to sentiment overwhelmingly. 4. Bibliography Ellis, R. J. Harriet Wilson's "Our Nig": A Cultural Biography of a "Two Story" African American Novel. Amsterdam: Rodolpi, 2003. Ernest, John. “Economies of Identity: Harriet Wilson's Our Nig.” PMLA 109.3 (1994): 424-438. Wilson, Harriet E. Our Nig; or, Sketches from the Life of a Free Black. Boston: Geo. C. Rand and Avery, 1859. —. Our Nig; or, Sketches from the Life of a Free Black. Ed. P. Gabrielle Foreman and Reginald H. Pitts. New York: Penguin, 2005. —. Our Nig; or, Sketches from the Life of a Free Black. Ed. Henry Louis Gates. New York: Vintage, 1983. Read More