Diogenes A.

Arrieta June 26th, 2009 Queries of Clotel This [America] is called "the land of the free and the home of the brave"; it is called the "asylum of the oppressed," and some have been foolish enough to call it the "Cradle of Liberty." If it is the "Cradle of Liberty," they have rocked the child to death. --William Wells Brown This poignant quote, by William Wells Brown, reflects the abolitionist message and feeling that is expressed in his novel Clotel: Or, The Presidents Daughter. In a time where slavery is widely accepted and practiced in America, Brown constructs a fictional novel that is cleverly wrought with an authentic and non-fictional voice. One way Brown does this is by assembling, reassembling, appropriating, and recombining his own writings along with others writings, and consigns the collective works into a fictional novel. This technique adds a distinctly authoritative tone to the novel and establishes fertile ground for his message to blossom. To moralize the horrors of a fictional novel without the solid undertones of truth that he gains by blatantly including personal experiences, stories from the lips of other slaves, American Abolitionist Journals, and specific works by those such as Lydia Marie Child would have undercut his affected message. (Clotel, pg. 208). The message gains authenticity both from the collaborated stories that share an un-American, liberty denying theme, and an author who can personally vouch for their legitimacy. Browns fictional novel can speak truth and plead its case with the authenticity that Brown gives it by recontextualizing the collaboration of works. Browns success of writing the first African American novel has probably influenced many African American authors, not to mention authors of all races. The most inspirational impact on other writers was probably the ability to overcome adversity. Brown was not afforded a proper education. Only self motivation and determination were given to him to complete his education. And to raise the stakes of overcoming adversity for a writer even higher, Brown did not begin his self-education until he was about twenty. Then, Brown not only learned to read and write, but he learned so well, that he had the ability to write a novel that was published and accepted by the literary community. The Weekly News and Chronicle said, That a man who was a slave for the first twenty years of his life, and who has never had a days schooling, should produce such a book as this, cannot but astonish those who speak disparagingly of the African race. (Clotel, 37). The Eclectic said of his writings, Though he never had a days schooling in his life, he has produced a literary work not unworthy of a highly educated gentleman. (Clotel, 36). These testaments are proof that some of the greatest adversities can be overcome. No matter where you start, the desire to learn, write, and affect others can be achieved. Browns words were his legacy, written in black, and forever engraved in white. Still today his novel is read. That, in itself claims influence on the work of authors of today and even tomorrow. Many novels today share a similar style. For example, the novel Kite Runner, written by Khaled Hosseini, parallels a

similar message to a religious struggle in Afghanistan. The message, though not as saturated with different examples as Clotel, does try to awaken people with a fictional, yet subtly possible, story of inequalitys destruction of society. Both use fiction to shed light on the evils of humanity and illustrate how decent people, even those who were unjust, can right their wrongs. Browns use of Clotels heritage to Thomas Jefferson was an important theme in his novel. Brown did this for a couple reasons. One simple reason was propaganda. Arna Bontemps, a well known educated African American author, and poet in the early to mid 1900s wrote, The frequent references to white paternity in autobiographical narratives like Browns as well as in fictional stories of slaves in that period, have sometimes been branded as propaganda devices by abolitionists wishing to stigmatize slavery by showing the demoralizing effect of the institution on the master class. (pg. 222, Commentary of Clotel). This is especially effective propaganda when associated with a great American such as Thomas Jefferson. It was commonly known that masters did have illegitimate children with their slaves. Browns use of Thomas Jefferson was more than just propaganda though. By tying a well known founding father, who was a respected author of the Declaration of Independence and a symbol for liberty, to Clotels heritage made the protagonist of Browns novel a symbol for liberty too. She was born of a direct descendant of American greatness. Her struggles for liberty are shadows of her fathers. Her life is catapulted to the forefront of the readers minds by her birthright. Clotel is not just a slave that white America can not relate to anymore. She is a part of the greatness of America that readers must accept. The juxtaposition of a slave and a symbol of American heritage plays on the storys theme. Clotel and her daughter are now part of white America whether they want it or not. The fact that these rumors, confirmed or not, are known at the time of Browns novel only work to his advantage. His abolitionist message is given true revolutionary clout at the reference to a true American revolutionist. Forty years before Brown wrote Clotel, Thomas Jefferson wrote, "There is nothing I would not sacrifice to a practicable plan of abolishing every vestige of this [slavery] moral and political depravity." (Thomas Jeffersons letter to Thomas Cooper, September 10, 1814). The complexity of Jeffersons contradictory views and participation with slavery add an extra fire and justification to the theme of Clotel. The use of Browns own narrative as the introduction to his book Clotel was a simple but ingenious strategy. To reiterate the point from the first paragraph, it gave the work first hand authenticity. Not only did it give the work of fiction an extremely nonfictional feel, but it gave the author an authoritative tone that was paramount for the controversial, especially at that time, message to be heard and felt. Every story in Clotel was paralleled with the authors non-fictional narrative. It is easy to forget from time to time that the stories were even separate. The author of the narrative was in the story of Clotel. You could feel his trials and tribulations reverberated in every demoralized slave and freed African American in the story. Every story became even more personal, because Brown guided you through these stories with him. He added a level of humanity that was even harder to ignore because he was there with the reader in his novel. By writing the introduction about himself, in the third person, he was able to stay with the reader during the entire proceeding novel. It was a seamless transition that cleverly made his narrative flow into and throughout Clotel. Robert B. Stepto, a literary theorist, author, and professor of African American studies, said Browns personal narrative functions

successfully in, authenticating his access to the incidents, characters, scenes, and tales, which collectively make up Clotel. In the end, we witness a dynamic interplay between the two narratives (pg 226, commentary on Clotel). More than just interplay though, Brown bonds with the reader and shares personal stories that are not his in an intimate way. Had Brown shared his narrative in the first person, many readers would have felt too close in his narrative to settle in to the third person novel that followed. By keeping both narratives in the third person Brown is able to add his personal narrative to the novel, while giving both the same authentic non-fiction voice with an intimate platform. The knowledge that Brown is an escaped slave, the first black novelist in America, the first black author of a playwright in America, a prominent and important man of letters, and an abolitionist gives a lot of weight to the interpretation and reaction of Clotel. The knowledge of the authors intimacy to his story gives the story credibility and color. A songs message is always richer and more felt if you know the singer wrote it. A teacher who has experience in their field and is accomplished is always sought after over a one who only teaches what they have read. It is not to say that other songs are not still rich and meaningful, or that only accomplished teachers are good at teaching, but before even beginning the book, Clotel, the reader is a believer in Browns knowledge of slavery. Eric Clapton wrote a song called Tears in Heaven about his son who died at the age of four. Before I even heard the song I was moved on a personal level, and that prepared me to better accept the message of the song. Knowing that Brown was a slave prepared me for a true account of the African Americans toil. I had read about the horrors of slavery in history books, but I viewed it in a more removed manner. Had a white abolitionist written a book about slavery, I would have sympathized with the atrocities, but not as intimately as I did with a book such as Clotel. It is like hearing a story from someone who heard it from someone who heard it from someone else. You always want to hear it from the source. I would not want to learn my wife loves me from someone else, no matter how reliable that source is. It is just more believable and personal when it is authentic, and Browns background made Clotel exactly that. Arna Bontemps quotes Saunders Redding as characterizing Brown as someone who reflected the temper and the opinion of the Negro in those years...the most representative Negro of the age. (pg 221, Clotel). I disagree with Reddings optimistic generalization about this. I wish all African Americans were representative of Brown in this age, but I fear that even Brown himself was aware that was not the case. In Browns own narrative he stated that his mother was, unwilling to make the attempt to reach the land of libertyall her children were in slavery, she did not wish to leave them. (pg 13, Clotel). His mother had a reason to stay and not the heart to be free if her children could not be free. Of course she wished to be free, but was unwilling, for whatever reason to flee of her own will. She does try to escape, thanks to the coaxing of Brown, but she did not want to and would not have tried if not for Brown. If every one of the four million slaves in America escaped even once, the shear expense, unrest, and time to stop four million slaves who were willing to flee would have crushed the institution. I know that there are a thousand reasons this did not take place, but it still stands that not every slave was willing to try as Brown was. Brown was also not in an ordinary situation. He was a mulatto who was fortunate, compared to some slaves, in his slave positions as servant in a medical department, superintendent of slaves on a steam boat,

servant in a hotel, and a carriage-driver. These were not by any means desired jobs because he was a slave, but compared to field workers and other more degrading, harsh positions, Brown did not exactly fit the mold of the most representative Negro. Many of his opinions can be argued to be held by all African Americans of that time, because most did not want to be slaves. His temper, however, could not be classified as representative. Because of his experiences, Brown held a different view than most African Americans. He had been exposed to the slave trade first hand and understood it better than most. He also saw how education and learned people differed from those that were not. His first job was a servant in a medical department. He was servant to wealthy people in their homes. A field slave could not compare livelihoods like those in a medical department, the many people of different classes on the steamboats to any other white person, not really. A field slave and many on the plantations only saw their workhands and masters. They did not converse or even get to witness white people of different classes and education converse as Brown did. This changed Browns temper from that of many slaves. After Brown was freed he looked for work from a barber. That barber refused him a job. First, Brown pleaded intelligently with the man, saying he would work cheap. Then, after still being denied, Brown stated that if he was not hired he would set up a shop of his own. Brown had the experience of cutting hair already and did exactly what he told the barber he would do; he opened up a shop of his own. This was a very brave and ambitious move, but Brown had experience, confidence talking to white men, and the ability to write a sign that ended up giving Brown all the business and making him a profitable, self-made man. Had Brown not had the experiences, fortunate upbringing that gave him insight on the importance of learning to read and write, he would not have been able to do these things. These were not things that most African Americans could not have done, given the same experiences, but they were not things that most could have done given the circumstances. Brown had a different temper than the African American of those times. It would be like saying that all the Americans had the same opinions and temper of the founding fathers. Many of the colonies did not want a new government during the time of the American Revolution. They were upset with the injustices of England, but they were not radical enough to want to succeed. Brown was a great man in his time. He was a great abolitionist, as many of our founding fathers were great revolutionists. But his greatness set him apart. African Americans needed Brown because they were not Brown, not yet. America needed the great revolutionists, like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Dickenson, and many others in their independence. America also needed William Wells Brown, not because he was the most representative Negro but because he stood out from the masses and was a great man. If all were fortunate enough to have developed like Brown in temper, then today we would not know of a William Wells Brown, we would know of an African American Revolution.