The main idea that runs through the entire work of Elizabeth Barrett Browning is the idea of the incommensurability of the suffering of men and women in slavery. A female slave is not only subjected to all the trials that fall to the lot of the stronger sex, such as overwork, hunger, and flogging. She also becomes a victim of even more severe torments reserved by slave owners especially for her. The African female character of The Runaway Slave at Pilgrims point embodies the need for moral and spiritual purity and family values, despite the debauchery that she is surrounded with.
The most common sin among male masters was cohabitation with slaves who gave birth to illegitimate children. At the same time, this state of affairs was considered the norm, white fathers were not ashamed of it, but only did not want anyone to recognize their own children in their slaves. The main character of The Runaway Slave at Pilgrims was forced to endure forced sexual slavery. Although her whole nature resisted this, in one way or another the owners tried to force her to come to terms with this side of life in the South (Harrison 63). This side of slavery was kept silent, since describing the shameful practice of sexual violence even among blacks themselves would cause a negative attitude towards the African-American race. It is for this reason that most of the heroine’s entourage “preferred understatement” (Browning 53). Thus, the entire life of a female slave fell under what was considered taboo in white society.
The heroine is torn from her roots, deprived of cultural, material and spiritual heritage. Since she differs from slaveholders in skin color, she is stigmatized, turning into a person with a defect. However, she does not feel less human because of the color of her skin, proudly repeating “I’m black! I’m black!” (Browning 93). Thus, despite the fact that in her culture it was unethical to consider white skin color equal to black, the heroine does it by this embedying the principle of equality.
The main character of The Runaway Slave at Pilgrims was deprived of the right to start her own families, because her duty was to serve the family of the owners and not be distracted by anything else. However, the female character of the work demonstrates the importance of family values despite the fact that the owners have taken away from her the opportunity to have a family. An example of this is the description of a scene with the murder of a child. The white masters, who were often the fathers of the children of female slaves, did not hesitate to use them as property, sold them at auctions and separated them from their mothers (Keirstead 306). Separation from children became the most terrible blow for the slaves. Despite all the attempts of the owners to destroy all human feelings in them, maternal instincts remained even in the most degraded of them. Therefore, the murder of a baby in the work is a way to protect him from potential suffering, and the terrible life that is in store for him.
Despite the fact that children are an incentive to life, they are not a joy and consolation. It was thinking about the child and caring for him that pushed her to the decision to commit murder (Harrison 65). Therefore, in this case, the character suggests that this is a crime that their culture considers unethical and immoral, is justified. Faced with these trials every day, the slave woman either completely degraded and put up with all the conditions, or was looking for some way out. Some committed suicide, some went mad, and some found “refuge in faith” (Browning 62). What the heroine aspired to was to be worthy of respect, to preserve the moral purity that was so highly valued in her culture (Harrison 71). Despite the fact that she cannot dream of marriage with the man she loves, the pain in the heroine’s heart is the driving force for preserving moral character.
Striving to remain objective, the heroine admits that there were also true believers who preserved piety in their thoughts and deeds, but there were only a few of them. For everyone else, religion was like a garment that was worn only on Sundays, and the rest of the time it was not remembered (Keirstead 297). However, the heroine herself embodied the values of Christian culture, even while in the terrible conditions of slavery.
The masters needed religion to justify their actions and confirm the right to have slaves. The religion of slaveholders contributed to the containment of human nature and the direction of people on the right path. However, the heroine did not use Christian postulates as limiters. Serving God was able to ignite true faith, and the very life of a slave pushed her to faith (Keirstead 298). The covenant of Christ that all people are brothers helped her to accept and love herself and the black color of her skin.
The analyzed values that embody the heroine from the work Elizabeth Barrett Browning The Runaway Slave at Pilgrims allow to highlight some features of the behavior of enslaved African Americans. The main character despite the fact that she is divorced from her relatives, those who were subjected to torture and violence were able to find resources to form their own identity. She drew strength from love, positive interpersonal relationships with representatives of the community, and awareness of herself as part of the collective spirit. This is what helped her to accept her past and be guided in her thoughts and actions by Christian values.
Annotated Bibliography
Harrison, Antony. “Percy Shelley, James Russell Lowell, and the Promethean Aesthetics of EBB’s “The Runaway Slave at Pilgrim’s Point.” West Virginia University Press, vol. 58, no. 1, 2020, pp. 53–72. Web.
This source was a good choice for the thesis due to the fact that the work provides the point of view of Elizabeth Barrett Browning. The author of the poem explains what prompted her to write. Knowledge of a deeper level of understanding of the text helps to reveal the thesis more fully.
Keirstead, Christopher. “Sea Changes: Reimagining the Coast in EBB From “A Sea-Side Meditation” to “The Runaway Slave at Pilgrim’s Point” Christopher M. Keirstead.” Nineteenth-Century Contexts: An Interdisciplinary Journal, vol. 44, no. 3, 2022, pp. 285–306. Web.
This source is a good choice for the thesis, since minor details play an important role in revealing the main character. In this paper, the authors consider how the environment reflects the experiences of the main character. At the same time, they highlight the literary techniques used for this, which allows to confirm the thesis with actual arguments.
Works Cited
Browning, Elizabeth. The Runaway Slave at Pilgrim’s Point. Kindle Edition, 2009.
Harrison, Antony. “Percy Shelley, James Russell Lowell, and the Promethean Aesthetics of EBB’s “The Runaway Slave at Pilgrim’s Point.” West Virginia University Press, vol. 58, no. 1, 2020, pp. 53–72. Web.
Keirstead, Christopher. “Sea Changes: Reimagining the Coast in EBB From “A Sea-Side Meditation” to “The Runaway Slave at Pilgrim’s Point” Christopher M. Keirstead.” Nineteenth-Century Contexts: An Interdisciplinary Journal, vol. 44, no. 3, 2022, pp. 285–306. Web.