Thursday, July 23, 2009
Our Nig
Although Our Nig is a great piece of work and good narrative, there is a mystery of why it was lost to scholars for over 120 years. I feel one reason for this is the title Harriet E. Wilson uses. It may be due to the title, "Our Nig" that scholars wanted nothing to do with this narrative. Just by looking at the title of the novel, one may think it is a mockery of African-American people, and this is what may have shied scholars away. Upon reading Wilson's narrative, it comes to mind that maybe this narrative was purposely lost in order to hide or cover up the harsh realities that freed Blacks faced in the North, although there were abolitionist present and the North was looked upon as a better place for Blacks at the time. In the narrative Wilson describes many beatings and times in which she was mistreated as though she were an animal. At the time this narrative was first published, these kinds of stories about the North were unheard of.
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Keion,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that it's truly strange that this book would be covered up for so long! I do also think that it had a lot to do with the title of the narrative. Like we discussed in class, the fact that the title inside of the book that states "In a Two-Story White House North, Showing that Slavery's Shadow Even Falls there" is criticizing the North during a period in which the North part of the United States was fighting for freedom of African American slaves, probably upset and caused many controversies between northeners. This could be much of the reason that the book showed up many years after the Civil War was over.
I like how you hit upon the point that the title may indeed may be mockery of African-Americans. While it may seem like a mockery, it may be symbolic of the fact that she was only half African-American and half white. In the way that she is only half black, they end up calling her a name which is shortened to half the length of the usual derogatory term for blacks in that time. ( Nigger - Nig )
ReplyDeleteI agree completely. I feel like you hit it dead on with people being afraid of the title but more importantly, a bad image for the north.
ReplyDeleteI completely see your point. I too, think that “Our Nig” was lost/hidden for many years because that it was too shocking of a freed Black was mistreated in the North when the North was supposed to be a better place with peace for Blacks.
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