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Contro Tocqueville's 'Virginian Luxuries'

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The “Virginian Luxuries” painting illustrates two types of power relationships. On the right side of the painting, a well-dressed man, a white master or the slave owner has his arm raised with a whip and is about to whip the black male slave on his bare back. The relationship of a master and his slave is portrayed as one of physical violence. On the left, the white master appears to put his arms around the black female, about to kiss the woman while looking into her eyes. This relationship is portrayed as one of sexual violence, because during that time, miscegenation was prohibited. Therefore relationships like these could only be reinforced by the master. However the female does not show any resistance to the man’s actions. This could be because her desired the white man or wanted acceptance from him. Both slaves appear docile and powerless. In both portrayals, the white man or master exerts …show more content…

He used their physical characteristics to reflect their positions in society. He mentioned that power can be perceived based on appearance. “At first glance” the white attracts attention. His superior power and intelligence is almost godlike; compared to the Negro and the Indian who occupy inferior positions. The Negro has no memories and had forgotten his religion and culture. He only knows slavery and does not know what it means to be free. He has been told from birth that he is inferior to the European. He has been reduced to less than a human by his European master, reflecting on a servant-master relationship, where the master subjects the slave and exercises supremacy. Even though the American Indian is on the same level as the Negro, they refused to submit to the tyranny of the white man. However the power exerted on them by the white man has made them more savage like than they were. But he is proud and does not submit his will to the white

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