When Henry Louis Gates, Jr., a Harvard professor and one of the nation’s preeminent black scholars took a chance and purchased a modest “unpublished original manuscript” from the Swann Galleries’ auction catalogue, no one could have imagined he would be changing both black and women’s literature forever. The novel titled The Bondwoman’s Narrative was written by Hannah Crafts, a slave woman during the mid-nineteenth century. The novel was published by Warner Books, located in New York, New York, in 2002. The book is approximately 360 pages, including the appendices and bibliography. The novel was edited by Gates, who has also edited Our Nig; or, Sketches from the Life of a Free Black by Harriet E. Wilson. Gates purchased the “Unpublished Original Manuscript” through an auction catalogue. Gates discovered the manuscript was the only known book published by a black slave woman and possibly the first book written by a black woman ever. The novel is preceded by an extensive introduction by Gates, in which he describes his search for the existence of a Hannah Crafts.
The book is an autobiographical novel that depicts Hannah’s struggle for freedom while living in the South during the nineteenth century. One of the first events in the book, and perhaps the most significant when considering the publication, is when Hannah meets an elderly woman whom she later refers to as Aunt Hettie. Aunt Hettie teaches Hannah to read and write which is a major theme in this book. Considering this may be the first novel ever written by a black woman, it is important to note the person responsible for Hannah’s literacy. The overseer of Hannah’s master’s estate discovers Hannah’s secret and banishes Aunt Hettie and her husband from their cottage. Aunt Hettie proves to be my favorite character because she is strong-willed. She condemns slavery and taught a slave girl to read even though it was illegal. She did not let a law interfere with or derail her from doing the right thing.
The next major event in the book is when Hannah’s master marries. A recurring theme in the book is Hannah neglecting to mention the actual names of those who she serves such as her master or mistress. This adds more of the perspective of a slave to the text which gives the reader a better understanding of Hannah’s situation. Hannah’s new mistress arrives at the estate with a companion, a man named Mr. Trappe. Trappe has known Hannah’s mistress since she was a child. He has accompanied her throughout her entire life, blackmailing her and using her fortune to benefit himself. Trappe is the only person who knows that Hannah’s mistress is the daughter of a slave. To keep Trappe silent, Hannah’s mistress pays him. At some point, Hannah’s mistress is unable to meet Trappe’s rate, and he threatens to expose her. Hannah and her mistress flee from the estate. Throughout the entire book, Hannah shows a strong devotion to those who she serves, which is somewhat ironic considering the circumstances of slavery. It is actually Hannah who suggests her and her mistress flee and Hannah refuses to leave her side. At this point, Hannah doesn’t seem terribly concerned with her own freedom, but she does recognize if they escape to the North, she could become free. The very act of fleeing in this book depicts liberation for both women and blacks. Hannah flees from the plantation as a slave, her mistress as a woman escaping from an oppressive man.
Hannah and her mistress become lost in the wilderness after fleeing and are eventually captured by Trappe. Trappe tells Hannah and her mistress he plans to sell them back into slavery. Hannah’s mistress bursts a blood vessel and dies immediately. Hannah, however, is still sold, and while in transit to her new master, is in an accident caused by the horse carriage. The person who purchased Hannah dies in the accident and Hannah is transported the estate of Mr. and Mrs. Henry. Mrs. Henry is a kind woman who is extremely humane to her slaves. She treats them as friends and humans instead of property and objects. Hannah is an extremely religious woman in the novel and refuses to lie about her condition. Mrs. Henry, upon waking Hannah after the accident, suggests that she may perhaps have been the friend of the man who she was traveling with. Hannah refuses to lie and admits to being a slave. This is a good example of Hannah’s noble character in the novel. Mrs. Henry shelters Hannah for a relatively long period of time until Hannah is sold to one of Mrs. Henry’s friends, Mrs. Wheeler. I somewhat disliked Mrs. Henry at this portion of the book because she refuses to keep Hannah in her home because she doesn’t believe in slavery. She would rather subject Hannah to potentially inhumane and cruel masters than keep her in her home.
Hannah greatly dislikes Mrs. Wheeler due to her vanity and childish behavior. Hannah thinks Mrs. Wheeler, while humane to Hannah, is unbearable to serve. Hannah travels with the Wheelers to Washington, D.C. There Mrs. Wheeler is embarrassed publicly after combining a whitening powder with a particular perfume. Mr. Wheeler asked Mrs. Wheeler to nominate him for a position in the Treasury Department. It was common for wives of politicians to recommend them for various positions in government. Mrs. Wheeler, being vain in nature, assures her husband she will obtain the position for him with her looks alone. The powder she wore turned a shade of black on her face and she was humiliated and forced out the treasury building.
Later, when the Wheelers travel to their plantation in North Carolina, Mrs. Wheeler accuses Hannah, wrongfully, of exposing her humiliating secret. It is at this point in the book that Hannah is forced to do strenuous manual labor. Hannah is forced to work in the fields and at this point Hannah resorts to fleeing from the plantation. It is odd that a book about the hardships of slavery only contains about a page or so of the actual forced and inhumane labor slaves were subjected to. Hannah’s case seems unique from the accounts of other slaves. She successfully escapes numerous masters, learns to read at a young age, and only has one master who forces her to do manual labor.
Hannah disguises herself as a man and meets a brother and sister, both of whom are also escaped slaves and die while in the company of Hannah. Hannah is reunited with her beloved Aunt Hettie who she has not seen since childhood. Hannah stays with Aunt Hettie until she is well enough to travel further north. Hannah eventually makes it to New Jersey where she is reunited with her birth mother, marries, and becomes a teacher.
Hannah’s story is unique to slave literature. While she suffered tremendously by being a slave, she seemed to evade the physical hardships of slavery, with the exception of fleeing for freedom, in which case she was malnourished and suffered from exposure. It is unfortunate that given the author’s circumstance, she could not reveal her true identity. It would have been extremely interesting to find out more about the author and learn whether or not most of the events depicted in the book were based on the author’s actual experiences. I would recommend this book to this others. If it is true that this was the first book ever written by a black woman, it is a tremendous literary find on the part of Gates and plays an important role in the depiction of slave history. It should be considered a major piece of literature in the realm of black literature, as well as women’s literature. The author utilized certain vivid situations to relate to the social aspect of slavery in the realm of interracial relationships that occurred between slaves and their owners, such as the two chapters in the book dedicated to Lizzy’s story. The author also describes the despicable business of slave trade, such as the section of the book when Trappe sells Hannah back into slavery and barters with the potential buyer.. The book is essential to read to further one’s knowledge of black history.
No comments:
Post a Comment