We are seeing an emerging Imperial Britian in the time era of Aphra Behn. What are the social commentaries at play in Behn’s Oroonoko? How does the narrator view British expansion, imperialism, and slavery? I.E We watch as Oroonoko is brutally dismembered and executed but remains calm and noble throughout the process. Who are the barbarians and who are the civilized here?
ENGL 201 | British Literature to 1800
Myra Seaman | Fall 2012
Throughout the story, we see Oroonoko as being the civilized one while the British are the barbarians. For one, they lie to Oroonoko, promising him and his family freedom again and again when they’ll never give to him. Then, to put an end to the rebellion, they tell him they’ll let him go free. Instead they whip him and allow other slaves to whip him until he can barely stand his two feet. And THEN, when he’s killed, they tear off his body parts one by one and throw them into the fire. Through this Behn, writes off the colonists as the real savages in the same air that Montaigne did in “Of Cannibals.” I think this shows that Behn doesn’t support these aspects of slavery or colonialism.
I agree with Kristen in that Oroonoko is the civilized one while the white colonists are the shameful ones as they attempt to corrupt the natives through the use of slavery and modern technology. The white colonists are the complete opposite of the natives and Oroonoko; they are cruel, voracious, dishonorable, and have no respect for the common man. The slave trading captain betrays Oroonoko after tricking him into believing he was on his side, and then sells him. The white colonists betray him several more times and even whip him until he almost loses all his blood. They are immensely uncivilized, corrupt slaveholders.
I agree with both other blog posts. There is a strong anti-colonialism feeling in this work. White colonists are shown over and over again being deceitful and violent towards the peaceful natives. Behn was frustrated with the colonialism and seems to have been frustrated with the violence of her countrymen in general. When Oroonoko is about to be killed, a white man says to him that he will “die like a dog” and Oroonoko replies that he has finally heard the truth from a white man. This is a strong statement which describes the deceit and violence and sums up Oroonoko’s relationship with the colonists who have cheated him since the beginning.
From the very beginning of the story, we see the native people described in such a poetic and magical way. Not only in their beauty, but in particular, their ways of living. Behn is very concerned with talking about how tranquil and peaceful the customs of the natives are, subtly hinting at a comparison of European life. She states, “With these people, as I said, we live in perfect tranquility, and good understanding, as it behooves us to do…..We find it absolutely necessary to caress them as friends, and not to treat them as slaves; nor dare we do other, their numbers so far surpassing ours in that continent.” This statement implies Behn’s views on colonialism and slavery. By saying here that it is not right to come in and disrupt people and treat them like slaves in their native lands. This example, and all others throughout the book, especially the scene where Oroonoko gets whipped and mutilated, it’s very powerful imagery and a conjuring of honorable, likeable characters that let’s us get a sense of what Behn’s perspective on controversial issues were.
In addition to these comments I think it is important to note, in terms of imperialism, that the narrator referred many times to the fact that the king of England should never have let these lands go (to the Dutch)…”that certainly had his late Majesty… known what a vast and charming world he had been master of…he would never have parted so easily with it.” The colonials found gold and began trade among Indians they discovered, and then bound them to slavery as well; colonials seized all opportunities to accumulate wealth and the narrator seems to comply with these accounts with no regret.