The Premise of Racial Integrity - Essay Example

First Last Dr. Number 15 November 2006 The faulty logic behind race boundaries eluci d in literature Kate Chopin,William Wells Brown, and Harriet Jacobs elucidate the premise of racial integrity. By providing characters of varying levels of African blood, these authors challenge the stability of racial divisions and the validity behind racial classification. Dsire's Baby, Clotel or the President's Daughter, and Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl provide readers with characters whose existence questions the premise and implications of a racial integrity. Each of these literary pieces are elucidated through application of Alys Eve Weinbaum's theories stated in Wayward Reproductions. Weinbaum's analysis of race treats ideologies of nationalism and racism within the American. Basically, Weinbaum's analyzes the connection between race and reproduction. Her ideas find that slavery as an institution validated by 'difference of the races' cannot continue to exist if reproduction does not occur separately inside and outside that institution. The basic statement offered in Wayward Reproductions is that America, as a racially divided nation, is in crisis. Social order is compromised because reproduction is not an orderly process. Weinbaum states that problems are grounded in "the failure of the social order, particularly the modern racial nation, to continually produce itself without a glitch" (p. 14). The basic concept to apply to the literary works by Chopin, Jacobs, and Brown, is that the idea of racial supremacy is faulty. Classification by race cannot exist in society as our reproduction isn't based nor does it occur within clear-cut racially-segregated boundaries. Weinbaum analyses Chopin's Dsire's Baby within her book and points out problems of identification and power struggle within the relationship between Dsire and her husband. Because the baby is not adequately and unquestionably Caucasian, onlookers to the child question which of the two parents have African ancestry. The thought is 'Who's guilty' Dsire is blamed for the physical appearance of the child and returns to the family home. "She disappeared among the reeds and willows that grew along the banks of the deep, sluggish bayou; and she did not come back again" (247). This is to say that Dsire, on behalf of her race being disclosed and African, is not welcome among the elite. However, in truth, Dsire's husband, who still resides in L'Abri, is the one, who due to 'racial inferiority' has been misappropriated his place. Kate Chopin expertly crafts her short story, Dsire's Baby, so that the reader will see the mockery of the premise of 'racial integrity.' Meanwhile, even the main characters are oblivious to the unfair hoax of racial divisions and the injustice those racial divisions cause, just as society cannot see the hoax that occurs among us. Via critique of Chopin's piece, Weinbaum also addresses Nationalism. Just as Desiree's household was interrupted, and Desiree returned to her family home, society is interrupted by assumptions based on race. This occurs and proves that social order is not stable. Models for classification, social control, and oppression (Weinbaum 3) of the races cannot function when those systems of classification have to be maintained through reproduction, which cannot be controlled. Both Harriet Jacobs and William Wells Brown include illustrations of autobiographical/biographical characters with mixed bloodlines who were born as slaves. Through them, race issues are addressed - issues such as racially-mixed reproduction, favorable treatment to those more Anglo-Saxon looking slaves, and the ever-present status of 'slave' or negro that contradicts the value of an individual. Constantly in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl and Clotel, Anglo-Saxon features of slaves are referred to as more attractive or more valuable. Degree of color is important to those telling these stories. Degree of color was of importance to the slaves themselves. Harriet Jacobs narrates of her childhood, opening with descriptions of her parents "In complexion my parents were a light shade of brownish yellow, and were termed mulattoes" (5). Soon after, when telling of the sale of Benjamin, her uncle, she describes "He was a bright, handsome lad, nearly white; for he inherited the complexion my grandmother had derived from Anglo-Saxon ancestors. Though only ten years old, seven hundred and twenty dollars were paid for him" (6). In Clotel or the President's Daughter, William Wells Browns depicts color in a similar manner. When explains the situation; In all the large towns in the Southern States, there is a class of slaves who are permitted to hire their time of their owners, and for which they pay a high price. These are mulatto women, or quadroons, as they are familiarly known, and are distinguished for their fascinating beauty. The handsomest usually pays the highest price for her time. (84) Notice the phrase there is a class of slaves, meaning that those with lighter features are differentiated from the rest. Change in color correlates to change in status. "Indeed most of the slave women have no higher aspiration than that of becoming the finely-dressed mistress of some white man" (84-85) which is, of course, what happens to the fascinating beauties. The problem is that if society follows the racial ideology of 'negro inferiority' then where is the line drawn Who should live the life of a slave and who not The quadroon beauties that Brown refers to do not have lifestyles anywhere near other slaves or even normal white folk. "The handsomest usually pays the highest price for her time. Many of these women are the favourites of persons who furnish them with the means of paying their owners, and not a few are dressed in the most extravagant manner" (84). This is the situation which comes into question. Where does society place 'quadroon beauties' If race were a method for implying inferiority, then would a mathematical calculation work If race is inferior, then at what point does the inferiority commence Does one-eighth of a person with African blood 'deserve' to be a slave One-sixteenth These can't be classified. This is the race question, which Weinbaum refers to as the 'race and reproduction' issue. Racial mixture questions individuals' status as slaves. Brown tells the story of Clotel, whose unique beauty separates her from the other slaves on the auction block. The appearance of Clotel on the auction block created a deep sensation amongst the crowd. There she stood, with a complexion as white as most of those who were waiting with a wish to become her purchasers; her features as finely defined as any of her sex of pure Anglo-Saxon; her long black wavy hair done up in the neatest manner; her form tall and graceful, and her whole appearance indicating one superior to her position. (87) When Brown narrates that she seemed like one superior to her position, the reader must recall what Clotel's position is. Clotel is being sold as a slave. Brown crafts Clotel with fascinating style and structure. Chapter VI, "The Religious Teacher" brings up the ethical and philosophical issues by which the individual is analyzed in terms of his race. Carlton, a school fellow, brings up " "What say you," replied Carlton, "about the right of man to his liberty" "Now, Carlton, you have begun again to harp about man's rights; I really wish you could see this matter as I do. I have searched in vain for any authority for man's natural rights" " (107). Following this, the religious teacher brings up that he is a follower of Rousseau, and therefore can "see no difference between white men and black men as it regards liberty" (108). These are the questions about the individual. When races occur in percentages, like quadroons or mulattos, which individuals have the natural rights ascribed by race and which do not If, like the religious teacher believes, there is no difference between white men and black men as it regards liberty, then there is no defense of slavery. It is with similar sentiment and crafting that Harriet Jacobs poses the issue of individuality vs. race. Jacobs writes of her grandmother's service to her owners, and that though they'd promised to take care of her children, they had sold them on the auction block without fail. It is narrated that this occurs because "These God-breathing machines are no more, in the sight of their masters, than the cotton they plant, or the horses they tend" (8). The owners can be benefited and profit from all the natural talents slaves have, but when it is desirable, owners will also think of them in the customary way, for example, there is a "public sale of negroes, horses, &c" (11). In Jacobs' text, Aunt Marthy, who is also mulatto (7), is another individual that brings this predicament of race vs. the value of an individual into question. This time, the public witnesses the overlap of individual vs. race. It is said of Aunt Marthy, that: She had for a long time supplied many families with crackers and preserves; consequently, "Aunt Marthy," as she was called, was generally known, and every body who knew her respected her intelligence and good character. Her long and faithful service in the family was also well known, and the intention of her mistress to leave her free. When the day of the sale came, she took her place among the chattels, and at the first call she sprang upon the auction-block. Many voices called out, "Shame! Shame! Who is going to sell you, aunt Marthy Don't stand there! That is no place for you! This situation shows that a person's character can raise them to the point where they are invaluable. If an individual is then, invaluable, race cannot logically imply inferiority. In characters like aunt Marthy and Clotel, the individuality and unique qualities of slaves are seen. The slave is seen as an individual, whether for their good character or for their Anglo-Saxon features. This situation, evolving in the texts of Jacobs and Brown, counters slavery with the illogical philosophy behind it. In the same way, Weinbaum's theory of race vs. reproduction questions the inability to be systematic or pragmatic about questions of race. Individuals, as much as an entire race of people, can no longer be defined. Persons cannot be classified on behalf of their race when reproduction produces individuals that do not fit within 'negro' or 'white' lines. As Weinbaum's theories suggest, the mixing of the races will inevitably lead to the breakdown of social order. Works Cited Brown, William Wells. Clotel; or, The President's Daughter: A Narrative of Slave Life in the United States. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2000. Chopin, Kate. "Dsire's Baby," Chopin: Complete Novels and Stories. New York: Penguin Putnam, 2002. P. 242-247. Jacobs, Harriet. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1987. Weinbaum, Alys Eve. Wayward Reproductions: Genealogies of Race and Nation in Transatlantic Modern Thought (Next Wave). Durham: Duke University Press, 2004. Read More