I have
started reading The Book of Negroes, by
Lawrence Hill, and finished the first part, (Book One). So far, it centers
around an old woman who lives in England, who is re-living her tumultuous past
throughout the book, which is interspersed with her memories. Her name is
Aminata Diallo, although it was later changed to Meena Dee, after she was
forced into slavery. Her story starts with a seemingly idyllic life in Bayo, (Africa), when she is approximately eleven years old. However, nothing can be perfect, as
demonstrated in the metaphor: “Pink is the taken as the colour of innocence…but
as it spills across the water... do not fall into its pretty path” (Hill 7).
One
day, she and her mother are captured by slave traders, and her father is later
shown to be captured as well. Her parents both try to fight and escape, and in
doing so, lose their lives. Aminata is then placed alone in a coffle, (people attached by chains), with only
two others that she knows, Fomba and Fanta. She later makes friends with a boy
who is aiding the captors, named Chekura. She learns how to survive by using
her talents taught by her mother as a midwife, and through her knowledge of
several languages. The portion ends with all the captives being loaded into a
vessel and sailing for America.
Some interesting characters that I
found within the novel were Fomba and Fanta. Their names are very similar, but
their personalities are complete opposites. Fomba is very innocent and has
almost no worldly knowledge, even though he is middle aged. Fanta is selfish
and believes herself to be superior to others, proven by: “Fanta told the
others to ignore him…Fanta mistreated the woloso”
(Hill 18). Yet they both suffer because of their dispositions after being
captured. This demonstrates the craftiness needed to adapt and survive as a
slave. You needed to be smart, to adjust, but not too smart, or else the
captors would worry that you could start a mutiny. These two characters
effectively demonstrated this need for subservience, yet also some intelligence
to be able to survive; there is also some slight irony due to the fact of the
similarity presented in the names.
Another literary device that interested
me throughout the novel was the author’s tone of acceptance. Aminata grew so
used to the terrible treatment she received that she simply seemed to stop
caring as much throughout the book. It is an interesting progression, as she
was shown becoming extremely upset when she is caught playing with another
person’s bucket at the beginning of the novel, “ 'It’s not for you to touch'…I
ducked and ran out of her home, knowing she would not follow” (Hill 19). Yet
later, she never flinches when she watches a friend get whipped. This development
doesn’t seem to be a positive or negative advancement of her character, but one
of necessity, which is very sad.
Throughout the novel, I tried to
connect to today’s standards verses the old standards demonstrated in the book.
It is extremely difficult, because today’s rules and ideals about equality are
so different than those. It is almost impossible to imagine a time when you
could beat or kill a person simply because they are different from you.
This book reminded me of another
book I read a few years ago, called A
Desperate Road to Freedom, by Karleen Bradford. It also dealt with the
slave trade, only it focused more on the slaves’ escape into Canada. I found
this interesting, because it tied something I am familiar with to an unfamiliar
subject for me. I wondered whether it is possible that later in the novel, an
escape may be made to the northern states or even Canada.
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