Chrystal Smith

The Impact of the Repressed on Early American Literature

          Upon entering the classroom on the first night of class, I was very confident that I would be familiar with the material being covered during the duration of the course and was not concerned that I would have to study on a regular basis. As a Literature major and an avid reader, I was positive that I was familiar with most genres as well as a majority of major works that could be covered. When the course was presented that night, however, I was shocked as well as intrigued to learn that I was completely and totally wrong. The genre or type of writing that was the most foreign as well as captivating to me was that of the captivity narratives of all peoples as well as some of the works written by slaves. These works were particularly intriguing to me due to the fact that I had never heard of this type of Literature or had an opportunity to engage in their particularly unique stories. These intimate accounts of one person’s trials and tribulations force the reader, in a sense, to experience the obstacles being recounted as if they vicariously have to overcome them as well.  Captivity narratives, slave narratives, and works that shed an unsavory light on the Anglo settlers are all important literary works that aided in the development of early American literature.

          There are numerous works that I have experienced in this class that have provided me with a more complete fundamental base for literature. Captivity narratives are one genre that fits under this category. I was unfamiliar with this type of literature and became intrigued by the topic which, in effect, caused me to perform research on the topic quite extensively. One such narrative is that of Mary Rowlandson which describes her extent as a captive to Indians as well as her restoration to the white civilization. She was taken by natives and held captive for a period of eight weeks in which she grew to despise her captors. She viewed them as heathens who were uncivilized and lacked religion. She describes them and their behavior as, “the savageness and brutishness of this barbarous enemy”. Not only does she view them as brutes and savages, but she also clearly states that they are the enemy. Having this particular view on the people whom are taking her captive also accounts for her opinion of the people holding her as well as the experience that she has while under their control. As I discovered during my research, the Indians were never, in fact, violent or mistreated her, but due to the conditions with which she was taken and the things that she was witness to, she viewed them as savages. Although this is very understandable, it is still quite puzzling when comparing her experience to other captives who find themselves in the same type of situation.

          An additional narrative that can be categorized in the same genre is that of Mary Jemison. Her extensive stay with the Indians was much longer in duration and is described in a more positive manner than is the case with Rowlandson. Jemison not only lived among the Indians, but she also married not only once but twice and had children with those who held her captive. Despite the fact that they took her from her home, her family, and those with which she had known all of her life, she still made the situation out to be positive. The people who had taken her not only treated her well, but welcomed her as if she was their sister and not some foreign person being forced to reside within their community. After several years of being in this situation, she still tried keep her own personality and beliefs. Despite the fact that she forgot how to read, she still longed to hear the words of the Bible and would listen to others read it whenever the opportunity arose. It was very captivating for me to read this particular narrative and experience the different events that she partook in while in the hands of the Native Americans. This particular narrative was assigned to me for my class presentation and caused me to want to research other works that were also classified as being in the genre of the captivity narrative due to the extraordinary experience that was told. Upon researching the topic further, I discovered that there were numerous other tales; however, they were not as happy or famous as Jemison’s story.

          Captivity narratives are typically classified as stories recounting a person’s experience while being held against their will. In my opinion, however, the Indians were made captives by the Anglos as well. Ryan’s web review on the Trail of Tears is a very accurate example of this. The Indian tribes were not only forcibly removed from their home, but they were also made to travel under horrid conditions to a land that they were unfamiliar with. It is described that the reasoning behind the removal of the Indians from their ancestral land was due to the fact that gold fever and land fever had begun to set in amongst white settlers. The idea of the government being persuade to remove people from land they own in order for another to occupy it is most appalling in this day and age. The idea that people were so self-involved that they could condone such acts against another human being is also frightening. This is one example of how early racism helped shape the country we live in today. Although it is not classified as a captivity narrative or story, it does cover the trials and tribulations of one group of people being taken against their will by another.

          An additional group of people that were held against their will and treated unfairly was that of the slaves. Women slaves were even more represses due to the fact that the female gender was not given as many opportunities at this time. I was quite enthralled when reading the poetry that was developed by Phillis Wheatley. She was a house slave with a very promising hand in writing. Her poetry is moving and ahead of its time in my opinion. Her writing seems to have a double meaning in the words that are used in order to stay in the good graces of her owners as well as to portray her feelings to others who understand her situation. Her distaste in her situation is clearly presented in her poem On Being Brought from Africa to America when she states, “ ‘Twas mercy brought me from my Pagan land, Taught my benighted soul to understand. . . “. In this comment she is making a statement in which her owner will believe that she is thanking them for bringing her to America and saving her from the savage land of which she was born. In all reality she actually is damning those which have taken her and forced her to work for them. Furthermore, she is essentially slapping the white man in the face by using her words to sarcastically mirror the thoughts that the whites have concerning her people, their religion, and their wellbeing. The negative opinions held by the Anglos greatly affect the African Americans and their outlook on their situation. Wheatley’s works, however, seem to be ahead of their time due to the imagery, language, and double meanings that are present. This repressed house slave used her writing as a sense of relieving her repressed feelings for her current situation and made a mark on the history of Literature.

          The numerous works of Literature produced by the different multicultural peoples affected by being held captive in one manner or another play an important role in Early American Literature. These works aid in displaying the changes and different stages that this country has gone through to get to the state in which it is in today. Furthermore, it has always been said that in order to prevent repeating the past it is necessary to acknowledge the events that have already occurred. These works of literature aid in providing a written account by which to acknowledge in order to live by this standard. These works have also served as a sense of motivation for myself. Due to the amount of new material being introduced to me in conjunction with my interest in the multicultural works, I would like to experience more works within this genre. They are quite interesting and serve to provide a history that is not readily available in most classes. Due to this longing, I will be taking Immigrant Literature in the Fall to see what other new works I may be able to build upon my interest with.