{"id":94,"date":"2022-12-21T02:39:25","date_gmt":"2022-12-21T02:39:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress.clarku.edu\/britlit\/?p=94"},"modified":"2022-12-21T02:39:25","modified_gmt":"2022-12-21T02:39:25","slug":"behn-oroonoko","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.clarku.edu\/britlit\/17th-century\/behn-oroonoko\/","title":{"rendered":"Aphra Behn, Oroonoko, and Racism"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Emily Levesque (Fall 2022)<\/strong><\/p>\n

The story of Oroonoko; Or, The Royal Slave<\/em> by Aphra Behn is told from the perspective of a female character, making the text important in a larger context. There is controversy regarding whether or not this individual is Aphra Behn herself, who uses her knowledge of the world during her time period in order to write Oroonoko<\/em>. While some believe this was the first text in the novel genre, others debate whether it can even be considered a novel. Those who do, argue that it is more of a memoir. The racist narrator paints herself in a good light, regarding \u201cThe Royal Slave\u201d as superior to other slaves but inferior to white men, showcasing the complexities and contradictions of racism in the text, as well as throughout history.<\/p>\n

The story follows the life of a respected prince, named Oroonoko, and his journey through being cast into slavery in Surinam alongside his lover, Imoinda. His name is changed to Caesar and while his owner, Tryfry, talks of freeing him, Caesar is suspicious of this. The narrator of the text spends a lot of time with him, talking as though she is his friend. Due to his suspicions, Caesar decides to run away with his pregnant wife and the rest of the slaves, who willingly follow him. The colonists chase and catch them, causing the other slaves to betray Caesar by running away. The deputy governor, Byam, promises to meet his demands if he surrenders, and proceeds to break his promise. Oroonoko kills Imoinda and his unborn child at her request and promises to enact revenge against Byam. He fails due to his depression and is eventually publically executed through dismemberment.<\/p>\n

Oroonoko <\/em>was published in 1688, during a time period when racism was normalized. Aphra Behn wrote this text during a time of political turmoil, having been desensitized to racist ideas and topics. While reading Oroonoko<\/em>, the reader must keep this in mind, especially since there is controversy regarding whether or not Behn places herself in the book as a narrator. In her introduction later, she writes as though this story really happened, saying \u201cThis is a true story of\u2026the royal slave I had the honour to know\u201d (Oroonoko, 5). Behn\u2019s claim that this fictional story is real makes her white perspective more important since it proves how desensitized to racism she is. Since she is surrounded by it, she thinks nothing of it. She has no reason to contradict racist ideas due to how normalized it is for her, especially since it doesn\u2019t negatively affect her. Assuming for a moment she is a character in the text, she is portraying herself in a racist light. She isn\u2019t a slaveowner, but lives among them, proving that she condones the institution of slavery.<\/p>\n

This racism is proved by one of her many contradictions, where she calls Oroonoko \u201cThe Royal Slave\u201d as a continuation of the text’s title. Behn refers to Oroonoko as royalty, thus placing him on a pedestal. She then contradicts this claim entirely, which is a mirror to the text as a whole, by calling him a slave. One may wonder how an individual can be referred to as royalty, a term attributed with the utmost respect as well as a slave, a dehumanizing term. This contradiction and confusion become more evident as the story continues. This shows that Behn doesn\u2019t see herself as part of the problem regarding racism. From her narrow perspective, it\u2019s normal and not discussed. The only insight we have regarding whether or not she knows it\u2019s wrong is the way she distances herself from negative situations regarding Oroonoko. But even then, readers get the impression that racism being bad wasn\u2019t even a construct during the time Behn wrote the story. If it was, that doesn\u2019t come through Behn\u2019s negative perspective on indigenous and black people.<\/p>\n

Assuming Behn was one of the good ones, as she portrays herself, and is still racist, this gives readers an idea of how racism was ignored historically. The narrator talks about Oroonoko in higher regard than other slaves and indigenous people, calling them \u201chobgoblins, or fiends, rather than man\u201d (59). Even while feeling that way, she uses Oroonoko to tokenize \u2018the other\u2019, or, those who are different than her. She uses grotesque words for the people she views as savages, but makes herself out to be admirable for putting Oroonoko on a pedestal. However, she sees him as below white men. She calls him a slave and refers to him as Caesar. This name was given to him when he became a slave, which symbolizes his past being renounced. Her calling him proves she doesn\u2019t see him for the person he is, but as the slave, he has become. She even dehumanizes him by saying \u201che was destined a slave\u201d (44). This proves she condones his role as a slave, even though in other regards she attempts to paint herself in a positive light. By doing this, readers are educated on the former white perspective, which is that dehumanizing \u2018the other\u2019 was normalized. There was no other discussion around the topic, meaning it would\u2019ve been all Behn knew. While this provides an explanation for this racist text, it is not an excuse for racism, much as Behn would like to portray.<\/p>\n

To build off the idea that the narrator, whether she is Behn or simply an unnamed character, is presenting herself in a positive light, pronouns must be considered. The narrator says \u201cThey fed him from day to day with promises, and delayed him\u2026so that he began to suspect them of falsehood\u201d (48). The usage of \u201cthey\u201d is striking, since it remains an ambiguous term. It disconnects her from it, creating a discrepancy between the narrator’s actions and words. She puts the wrongdoing on the slaveowners and none on herself, even though she too is betraying Oroonoko. This is shown through the way Behn brags about how she is Oroonoko’s greatest friend, saying \u201cthey ate with me\u2026I entertained them\u201d (49), but is not his friend. Rather, she is distracting Oroonoko from the fact that Trefry won\u2019t be setting him and the pregnant Imoinda free. She also objectifies him like a shiny new toy, rather than an actual human, which dehumanizes him just as much as she does the other slaves. The statement \u201cI took it ill he should suspect we would break our words with him\u201d (49) also serves to show a major discrepancy between Behn’s words. Earlier, she says that \u201cthey\u201d fill him with lies. Now she frets over him worrying that \u201cwe\u201d are lying. All in all, her narrow, white viewpoint is hypocritical and her pronoun choice is contradictory. The narrator’s perspective is also important in the discussion concerning the genre of the text.<\/p>\n

There is much debate over what genre Oroonoko <\/em>falls into. By many, it\u2019s regarded as the first novel of its kind, employing a first-person female narration. A novel is longer than a short story, and while it can be fictional, includes realistic elements. Oroonoko<\/em>, for example, addresses the topics of human relationships, slavery and racism. While the events within the text may not be entirely truthful if at all, these topics are very real and relevant to modern life. From this perspective, it\u2019s possible to argue that due to its length and realistic content, this text could be considered a novel. Novels are also usually told from a third-person perspective. In a third-person perspective, the narrator generally isn\u2019t explained and is simply there. While their perspective does impact the story, they are unnamed and don\u2019t create much discussion. Due to the heavy complications over whether or not Behn is the narrator and character in her own text, it is clearly not told from this perspective. This complicates the argument that it is a novel. Skeptics of the novel claim argue that it\u2019s more of a memoir.<\/p>\n

A memoir is typically historical writing told from personal experiences, or even from a secondary source. This is closer to what Oroonoko <\/em>is, since Behn claims the story to be true, and tells us everything she claims to know. On top of that, Behn prefaces the text by saying it tells the story of the \u201cRoyal Slave\u201d, Oroonoko. It\u2019s not a story about herself, even if it\u2019s believed she is a character in it. In the beginning, she recaps events that she wasn\u2019t there for. Rather, she\u2019s repeating what Oroonoko told her. Since she\u2019s telling another person’s story, it isn\u2019t being told in the moment but is written down after the fact. The way she describes it is \u201ca short chronicle of those lives that possibly would be forgotten by other historians\u2026\u201d (4). She claims to have written the story in just a few hours, but there is little likelihood of this claim, given that it\u2019s a work of fiction. Therefore, we can surmise that word choice is important. In this case, she refers to herself as a historian, further proving that the text is written to fall into the memoir form. One contradiction to the claim that it is a memoir is the idea that memoirs are meant to be factual. However, Behn attempts to make us feel something in the opening as well as throughout the story. The narrator writes about how she feels concerning Oroonoko, saying \u201cI give you the story of this gallant slave\u201d (9), causing us to see him positively. This is merely one example of all the terms she uses to depict him in a certain way. Readers get a biased version, based on the narrator and Behn\u2019s white perspective. If this is the case, the narrator is not reliable, meaning we don\u2019t know if the text is factual or not. Therefore, it can not be said for sure if it is a memoir even though it fits that definition more fully than that of a novel.<\/p>\n

The argument concerning the genre of Oroonoko <\/em>is important when considering the historical impact of the text. The general claim is that it is the first of its kind, being a novel that employs a first-person female perspective, which was unusual for the time period. However, under the argument that it fits better as a memoir, the historical significance must be re-evaluated. Readers wonder if the text being a different genre causes it to have a lesser impact. Either way, however, it is important in seeing the evolution of literature, and the perspectives shown within literature. Since it\u2019s written and told by a female, it remains a milestone book, no matter the genre. Through reading this book, readers realize the desensitization of racism not only at the time it was written, but today too. The narrator dehumanizes slaves without hesitation. While this isn\u2019t as extreme today, the theme is still applicable. Behn\u2019s racist voice serves to allow readers to look at their own lives, and what they have been desensitized to. It\u2019s not like Behn knew she was desensitized to indigenous people, whom she calls a \u201cgloomy race\u201d (13), and the institution of slavery. She only uses negative words to describe them because that is what she’s been taught. Readers could be experiencing a similar issue, making Behn\u2019s perspective important to understand.<\/p>\n

The text can be contrasted with later works tackling the topic of racism, for a fuller historical understanding of how mindsets have changed. An important mindset to analyze is the female perspective since this text is one of the first written in such. Over time, the female voice has become more powerful and willing to say things that would have been considered inappropriate for Behn to write about. Readers can read between the lines, but there is much left unsaid. This is why her voice is so interesting to analyze and pick apart. It\u2019s a female perspective, but not the one we would see today if compared to later literature. Her voice is diluted and limited by the seventeenth-century mindset which can be used to understand the evolution of accepted literature topics. This especially concerns grotesque and disturbing themes like the way Behn portrays racism and slavery. Overall, Oroonoko <\/em>is relevant to understanding today’s society, no matter if readers believe it is a novel or a memoir.<\/p>\n

Whether Oroonoko <\/em>is a memoir or novel, it continues to hold historical significance today due to it being an early example of a female perspective. The complex narration and racist themes lead to a controversial book that must be explored for readers to learn about historical perspectives regarding racism. It is especially important to explore the desensitization of slavery and racism, and how that connects and is important to modern perspectives. By employing the contradictory and controversial story of a \u201cRoyal Slave\u201d whom she both dehumanizes and puts on a pedestal, Aphra Behn becomes an important writer for early literature, relevant even today.<\/p>\n

Works Cited<\/strong><\/p>\n

Behn, Aphra. Oroonoko<\/em>. Penguin Classics, 2003.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This work is licensed under Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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