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The Known World, a historical fiction novel by Edward P. Jones, opens with a master’s death. He owns over 30 slaves and 50 acres of land in Manchester County, Virginia. His slaves probably do not know that he originally intended on being a different kind of master, “the kind of shepherd master God had intended” (180). However, he inevitably fails to become someone who provided “good food for his slaves, no hippings, short and happy days in the fields” (180). This sounds like a familiar story, but there is a difference. Henry Townsend is black. The Known World takes a closer look at not only the brutality slaves endured but also at the system of slavery and the culture it produces as a result. Jones investigates the human origins and social impact of the slavery institution that existed particularly in the South. He highlights the uncomfortable yet historically accurate fact that it was not uncommon for free blacks to own slaves. This allows the author to explore on a deeper level how this ironic situation came about and what exactly separates a slave from a master. Approaching slavery through this perspective allows the author and his readers to consider the impact of slavery on society and individuals.
In the novel, The Known World, Edward P. Jones sheds light on slavery as a social system and the type of culture it produces. Through various stories from the perspectives of different characters, Jones paints a picture of the transformation of the practice of slavery into a lifestyle focused on capitalistic gain. Economic profit alone would not be enough for people to turn to the most extreme system of stratification, slavery. Slave owners believe in inherent superiority, that they have a right to order those who they believe are inherently inferior to them. It is shown throughout the novel that white characters like Counsel live by these blashphemous standards, causing them to believe it is acceptable to own and reduce people to property. As Counsel makes his way to Texas, he encounters a wagon train with people of many races. “Counsel wondered if the authorities knew about all these people. There was something wrong here and the government of Texas should be doing something about it” (239). In the first sentence, there is a tone of genuine confusion on Counsel’s part as if he is witnessing something forbidden. He refers to the civilians in the wagon as “these people,” which produces a sense of otherness. Counsel’s disgust of the concept of otherness highlights his extreme racism towards everyone else who is different from him. This standoffish tone makes his sequence of thoughts seem almost blatantly natural. Phrases like “something wrong here” and “should be doing something about it” emphasize the immense uncomfortableness coming from Counsel, which helps readers to more easily grasp the warped and racist mindset of characters like him. Through passages like this, we are able to come to the conclusion that the causes behind his bewildering beliefs boil down to the inherent belief of superiority. Specifically, Counsel thinks all other races as inferior to his own and views “these people” basically as trash. Counsel has this unshakeable sense of superiority when he is the one who has lost everything. He, a slave master, abandons his property and creditors and becomes a thief and adulterer, yet he somehow still feels superior to the “filth” in the wagon. He has learned nothing from his sorrows as he continues to loathe and judge people who are different and still does not understand tolerance and humility. While the novel primarily explores slavery as an issue beyond racism, this factor cannot be ignored. Counsel’s level of racism is shocking even in the society of The Known World that accepts the dehumanizing system of slavery as a way of life. This false sense of superiority is just one of the many toxic elements that poisons society and the people in it.
One of the most frequently discussed factors of slavery is racism; however, Jones transcends beyond racial boundaries and uncovers the bigger truth. The struggle in power dynamic and desire for assertion of power rooted within the slave community are one of the many reasons why free blacks end up reinforcing the cage that once held them captive. Oftentimes, slaves who are given a sense of superiority and more authority over other slaves experience degradation of the human heart. This can be seen in Moses, the overseer of all the slaves on Henry’s plantation. As Moses’s trips to Caldonia to report about the plantation become a more frequent and regular occurrence, his attitude and behavior begins to change for the worse. “That evening was the first time Moses would think that his wife and child could not live in the same world with him and Caldonia. Had they made love in silence, as before, he would not have begun to think beyond himself. But she had spoken of tomorrow, and that meant more tomorrow after that. Where did a slave wife and a slave son fit in with a man who was on his way to being freed and then marrying a free woman? On his way to becoming Mr. Townsend?” (292-93). Moses’s contemplation of his situation relays a sense of urgency and danger. The uninterrupted flow of his sentence underscores the straight-forwardness of his sacrilegious thoughts of his already established family. Phrases like “the same world with him and Caldonia” accentuates the irreversible distance that has been created between his old life with Priscilla and Jamie and the new one he envisions with Caldonia. This allows the readers to realize that the greed for power and influence has tainted Moses’s once sincere heart. The opening of the second sentence, “had they made love in silence, as before,” reveals Moses’s dying feelings of love and dedication towards his relationship with Priscilla. The idea of Priscilla speaking “of tomorrow” frightens Moses as he desperately wants to leave behind his life as a helpless slave, and the only way to do that is by cutting off ties with his family. Through the questions Moses asks himself, he tries to justify his betrayal of Priscilla and Jamie with the reasoning that “a slave wife and slave son” cannot “fit in with a man who” will soon rise above the sphere of slaves and join the other side with Caldonia. Just as Henry Townsend once did, Moses has come to embrace the slavery system and desires to become the next Henry of the plantation. This false sense of hope and ambition drives Moses to view his family as an inconvenient obstacle to what he wants, causing him to trick Priscilla and Jamie into leaving the plantation forever. Moses was once filled with compassion and had tearfully begged Robbins, “We are one,” (300) to keep him and a fellow slave, Bessie, together. Comparing the past to now, Moses shows no signs of remorse for causing Priscilla and Jamie to disappear even though he and Priscilla have been married for a long time. His once warm heart has turned stone cold because of the callousness of slavery. This extreme comparison underscores the degrading effects of slavery on the human heart, thus, making slaves like Moses more susceptible to embracing the slavery institution.
Jones depicts the culture slavery produces through the eyes of various characters like Henry Townsend, a free black who ends up owning his own kind. The fact that it was not that uncommon for free blacks to become slave masters, assuming the role whites predominantly occupied, there seems to be underlying reasons other than racism that has brought upon this ironic situation. In these cases, the insuppressible desire for control and superiority perverts free blacks’ notions of justice and humanity, which in turn results in them supporting the slavery system. “Moses had thought that it was already a strange world that made him a slave to a white man, but God had indeed set it twirling and twisting every which way when he put black people to owning their own kind. Was God even up there attending to business anymore?” (9). The phrase “ already a strange world” expresses Moses’s hatred and extreme disapproval of a world where whites normalize the idea of owning black slaves. Descriptive words like “twirling” and “twisting” convey the even more disturbing and uncomfortable feeling Moses, as well as we, get from the fact that free blacks like Henry own people of his own kind. The reference to God relays a sense of utter hopelessness in humanity, which further underscores the immorality of slavery. Throughout the novel, Jones reveals the reasons how a society where slaves manage to escape the diabolical institution just to perpetuate the vicious cycle slavery can exist. The author shows that on top of racism, the mindset of a group of people who value power and being viewed as superior over others is what also drives slavery. Despite the numerous justification of slavery with religion and the law, The Known World demonstrates that on top of racism, the mindset of a group of people who value power and being viewed as superior over others is what also drives the slavery institution.
Slavery is able to have such a strong hold on society because of the constant justifications made by slaveowners and bystanders. While Henry associates the ownership of slaves with prosperity and influence, other characters utilize religion to justify their roles as master and for their continued practice of slavery. Amidst the funeral of Henry Townsend, his slaves are anxious as to whether or not Caldonia will grant them freedom. Caldonia laments, “‘Please do not worry yourselves. I am here and I will not be going anywhere. And you will be with me. We will be together in all of this. God stands with us. God will give us many days, good and bright days, good and joyful days…’” (64). Through the usage of words like “please” and “worry,” Caldonia conveys genuine concern for her slaves and attempts to console them. The constant use of the third person point of view in phrases like “we will be together in all of this” reveals Caldonia’s intention of not freeing the slaves, ultimately putting an end to the slaves’ hopes of liberty. The phrase “I will not be going anywhere” perpetuates this false idea that everyone is better off being slaves under her control. There is a subtle condescending tone in Caldonia’s condolences as she basically views them as helpless without her giving them worth. She justifies her decision by using the name of God, which shows that Caldonia believes God condones their enslavement. Justification of slavery through religion encourages people like Caldonia to continue their practice of slavery as they are given a false sense of peace as they believe what they are doing is morally correct. Augustus had faith in Caldonia to have greater moral decency than Henry and hoped that she would free the slaves upon Henry’s death. However, continued involved with slavery has changed her as she now accepts it and does not propose freeing the slaves. This illustrates the corrupting influence of slavery on seemingly kind and gentle people like Caldonia who have not recognized how slavery has warmped her humanity. Similarly to Caldonia, Fern Elston, an educated free-born black, justifies her involvement in the slavery system with God and the Bible.
Christianity has a significant influence in the mindset of people during the antebellum era in America. In fact, the first instance of slavery is depicted in the Old Testament of the Bible. As a result, people who read and lived in accordance with the Bible thought it was not morally wrong to possess slaves. When trying to explain to a journalist how a black person could possibly own slaves, Fern declares, “‘All of us do only what the law and God tell us we can do. No one of us who believes in the law and God does more than that’” (109). Although Fern Elston is an educated, refined free-born black and a teacher, she too participates in the slavery institution. Fern justifies her entangelement with slavery by explaining that they do only what God permits. She lives as a free woman, but she is not free of slavery. Fern lives within its social construct, which deems the practice legal and ethical by the word of God. Her assertion highlights the corrupting influence of beliefs used to justify human subjugation.
In addition to how many justify slavery with religion, some use the law and the economy to support the immoral institution. When William Robbins comes upon Henry playfully wrestling with his slave, Moses, Robbins rebukes, ‘“…But the law expects you to know what is master and what is slave. And it does not matter if you are not much darker than your slave. The law is blind to that. You are the master and that is all the law wants to know. The law will come to you and stand behind you. But if you roll around and be a playmate to your property, and your property turns around and bites you, the law will come to you still, but it will not come with the full heart and all the deliberate speed that you will need…’” (123) The phrase “the law is blind to that” reveals that the only thing that separates Henry from his slave is the law as Henry physically looks similar to Moses. The personification of the law facilitate the reader’s understanding how characters like Robbins justify the practice of slavery with the law and faulty logic. Through these words, Robbins emphasizes how defining the role of a master and slave will be more advantageous for Henry. By associating the powers of the law with words like “full heart” and “deliberate speed,” Robbins relays a sense of gravity that comes with being a “proper” master. Robbins sees that Henry, though full of potential, he does not comprehend the conventions that slave owners must adhere to. He has to internalize the legally defined position of master as a free black and the owner of human property. To be a “proper” slave master and maximize efficiency and profits, Henry embraces the social system of slavery and enforces the distinction between master and slave. It is Henry’s duty to enforce this distinction if the law is to shield him. Henry’s belief is based on the idea of maintaining order and stability, fearing that if anyone were to go against the law, the economy and society they live in will fall apart, leading to chaos and violence. This perspective of his fails to take into consideration the violence that is already taking place to maintain the system – the form of abusing and killing slaves.
Throughout the novel, Jones utilizes this unique approach to inspecting slavery in order to deepen our consideration of the effects of slavery on individuals and the community as a whole. One of the most frequently discussed impact of slavery on the human mind is the illusion of freedom. Henry realizes his illusioned freedom through a metaphorical dream as he dies when “He thought he knew the one they were talking about but as he formed some words to join the conversation, death stepped into the room and came to him: Henry walked up the steps and into the tiniest of homes, knowing with each step that he did not own it, that he was only renting. He was ever so disappointed; he heard footsteps behind him and death told him it was Caldonia, coming to register her own disappointment. Whoever was renting the house to him had promised a thousand rooms, but as he traveled through the house he found less than four rooms, and all the rooms were identical and his head touched their ceilings” (11). While Henry believes he is free, he is technically not free because Augustus bought Henry from Robbins and owns his son. This was the only way in which Henry could live in Virginia without having to be re-enslaved once Robbins released him under the state laws. Entering a small and cramped house he doesn’t own but rents in his dream moments before his death, Henry is deeply disappointed that the house with only a few rooms isn’t as grand as he was promised. He does not have any more ownership of the house than he has of himself. His liberty is borrowed and his identity has been built on a lie.
The free blacks who did not participate in the slavery institution experienced a different kind of illusioned freedom: freedom that was transitory and fragile in nature. When Augustus became furious with the fact that his own son had become a master, “…Mildred made him see that the bigger Henry could make the world he lived in the freer he would be. ‘Them free papers he carry with all over the place don’t carry anough freedom’” (113). Mildred tries to explain her support of Henry’s decision to Augustus by tangibly conceptualizing the illusion of freedom. The “bigger world” Mildred discusses about refers to how Henry’s involvement in slavery will give him the opportuntity to gain enough power and influence to rise above the restrictions placed on people like Mildred and Augustus. As a result, she explains how the more influential he is in the community, “the freer he would be.” The phrase “don’t carry anough freedom” helps the readers to realize that a flimsy piece of paper stating someone’s status cannot suddenly change civilians’ attitudes towards free blacks. Mildred seems to understand more about the severe weaknesses of being free blacks in a society where all the power is placed in the hands of a select group of people. She knew what Augustus eventually came to realize through a tragic incident that resulted in his death. While traveling home from a distant county, Augustus encounters slave patrollers Harvey Travis, Oden, and Barnum. ‘“Mr. Barnum, evenin. How your family? They be good, as the Lord keeps them. This ain’t no damn church social’” (211). Augustus greets Barnum warmly in a casual yet formal tone as he addresses him as “Mr. Barnum.” He then strikes up a genuine question to initiate a conversation. Barnum then answers with some level of intimacy when he says “as the Lord keeps them.” The first two dialogue paints a perfectly normal and common conversation between two people when all of a sudden, Travis interjects aggressively. The concise yet strong statement delivers a sense of urgency almost like fast beats in a song. The change in tone from amiable to hostile as shown through the use of a curse word “ damn” makes it seem as if the greeting flipped a switch in Travis’s mind. It almost felt like Travis hated the image of a black man greeting fellow civilians. Travis, fueled by extreme jealousy and hatred towards free blacks, devours Augustus’s free papers and sells him to a kidnapper. In a slave-based society, the nature of freedom for ex-slaves is extremely fragile. They are not granted the life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness that they deserve from earning freedom. In a twisted society like this, all it took to strip Augustus of his liberty and chain him again to the bondages of slavery was for someone to easily devour a flimsy piece of paper. Similar to Counsel, Travis’s approval of an institution that degrades humans to property is fueled by a belief of inherent superiority and the desire for dominance over those that he deems as “inferior.” Even though people like Travis, Robbins, and Counsel constantly justify their practice and enforcement of slavery with capitalism and the law, in the end, individuals like Travis end up breaking the same laws in order to satiate their own selfish needs and feelings of false superiority.
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