Oroonoko
Oroonoko has been defined as a contradictory novel by different readers due to its unclear position concerning slavery. Aphra Behn grew up during an era when slavery was allowed in Europe, and most of the slaves came from Africa. In the definition given by Behn about the royal slave gives a position the Behn holds concerning the issue of slavery. “I do not pretend, in giving you the history of this Royal Slave, to entertain my reader with adventures of a feigned hero, whose life and fortunes fancy may manage at the poet’s pleasure…, design to adorn it with any accidents but such as arrived in earnest to him…,” Behn. Behn would have appeared to have been an anti-slavery author, but her definition for the royal slave shows that democracy is not an option in a society that upholds hierarchy. Oroonoko presents a contradicting view on the position of democracy in the states that were affected by the institution of slavery since Oroonoko is treated as a royal prince even though he is still a slave.
Democracy has suffered criticism from several scholars over time. The existence of superior individuals was considered as the correct structure that any society should adopt. Democracy was different in that everyone was considered equal and that governments had to be centralized, and the ruled were the key decision makers. The idea of democracy was introduced in England when a ruling King was captured and beheaded, and a need to have a centralized government came up (Hoipkemier, 2018). Aphra Behn was one of the authors who presented contradictory works on the issue of democracy. On one side, Behn would have been said to be a critic of Aristotle’s argument against democracy. Aristotle used to argue that society should not be treated differently from the family structure. The argument was that a family is structured in a hierarchical order where the parents were powerful. However, the novel “Oroonoko” however supported the claim by Aristotle that some people in the society are destined to be in power. The treatment given to Oroonoko is different from the other slaves both by the masters and the author. Right from the beginning of the story, the author gives a special explanation to Oroonoko and even treats the other slaves as inferiors. The masters also treat Oroonoko as a special slave who is not sent to the fields because he is educated. The treatment of Oroonoko as a special slave brings along serious problems since the other slaves view him as a leader and Oroonoko was able to lead slave strikes without difficulties. Despite supporting the special treatment of royal individuals, Behn presents several shortcomings of the hierarchical system of society structure.
The society that Oroonoko is brought up in faces serious challenges. First, Oroonoko meets a serious challenge when he decides to get married. The relationship with Imoinda hits a rock when the news of the girl’s beauty reaches the king who decides to marry Imoinda. The current societal structure did not give a lady any chance to turn down a King’s proposal of marriage. Oroonoko, on the other side, did not have any power to prevent his grandfather from marrying Imoinda. Oroonoko, however, decides to let Imoinda to get married since the king was too old and would not do much to Imoinda and Oroonoko had a chance of marrying her later. A further mishap associated with the hierarchical structure of leadership comes up when Oroonoko’s attempt to continue with his relationship with Imoinda in the palace is reported to the king. Imoinda and another king’s wife are sold out as slaves, and the decision from the king cannot be overturned. The fact that the people in power did not have anyone to answer to gave the hierarchical societal structure a severe weakness. On this instance, Behn appears to be supportive of the idea that the hierarchical system of leadership should be abandoned for democracy. The book continues to create more contradiction and goes back to the comments of Behn on the beauty associated with royalty. Behn appears again to support hierarchical leadership when the story brings back Oroonoko and Imoinda’s relationship as slaves.
Behn’s novel appeared to bring forward that royalty was related to beauty and that the beauty was incomparable to anything from nature. The decision by Oroonoko’s grandfather to sell Imoinda as a slave was coincidental with the involvement of Oroonoko in a war that would lead him into slavery (Behn, 2018). Oroonoko and several other men were lured into a trap and then sold off as slaves. However, the handsome nature of Oroonoko appeared to reveal the royalty in him, and he even pleaded with the sellers to take away his royal garments to avoid the disturbing attention that he was receiving. Oroonoko did not know that he was going to meet his friend and future wife, Imoinda, who had attracted the attention of her masters due to her stunning beauty. The idea of using Oroonoko and Imoinda in Behn’s story served to proof the idea that hierarchical leadership was a complete beauty and should be embraced instead of democracy. Also, the picture created by Behn in her definition of Oroonoko among his fellow slaves showed that royal families were special and should be recognized in society. Towards the end of the story, Behn creates another contradiction using Oroonoko’s behavior as a slave.
The conduct of Oroonoko as a slave brings a contradiction in the right position that Behn held concerning royal families. Oroonoko brings a mentality of rebellion; immediately he sets his feet on the plantation. Although Oroonoko is given a chance to marry Imoinda, Oroonoko does not seem thankful and instead starts to plan a way out of slavery. The desire by Oroonoko to leave is so strong that when the first attempt backfires, Oroonoko decides to revenge against his master. The feeling of revenge leads Oroonoko into killing his wife and later dies a death that did not to deserve to befall a royal man.
In sum, “Oroonoko” gave a contradicting position on the issue of democracy and hierarchical leadership system. The ideas given by Aphra Behn showed the support of some arguments by Aristotle while criticizing others. The treatment of Oroonoko by the author and the masters gives the respect that should be given to members of the royal families. Also, the relationship between Oroonoko and Imoinda presents the exaggerated beauty associated with royal families. However, the portrayal of Oroonoko’s character towards the end of the story gives a contradictory position held by Behn towards the behavior of the members of the royal families.
References
Behn, A. (2018). Oroonoko: Or the History of the Royal Slave. Charles River Editors via PublishDrive.
Hoipkemier, M. (2018). Justice, Not Happiness: Aristotle on the Common Good. Polity, 50(4), 547-574.