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Oroonoko In Uncle Tom's Cabin, By Aphra Behn

1220 Words5 Pages

When people think of strong slaves in literature who sought out liberty, most people think of Frederick Douglass, Harriet Jacobs, or even the fictional characters in Uncle Tom's Cabin. Their thoughts turn to American literature and the slave narratives of the 1800s. There is one slave in history, though, that lived long before the American Civil War and who relied on a white woman to reveal his story to the world. The outspoken Aphra Behn passionately writes about the evils the slave Oroonoko faced before, during, and after slavery. Oroonoko is written as a powerful character with romanticized features, the noble and charismatic aura of a leader, and the committing of actions that are considered to be so brave that no regular man could ever …show more content…

Behn reveals man stories of Oroonoko's life where he proves his bravery. One of his most notable stories is his fight for the love of his life, Imoinda. Although Imoinda was married to Oroonoko, she was also one of the mistresses to his grandfather, the king. One evening, Oroonoko visited Imoinda to consummate their marriage, but the guards found them and warned Oroonoko that he was now in great danger for what he had done (Behn 2372). Oroonoko risked his life to be with Imoinda and he did not fear death when he went to see her. He was very brave to go and see his wife, knowing that he might die in the process. Another incident to prove Oroonoko's bravery is much sadder and more difficult to grasp. Oroonoko takes Imoinda off and tells her that he is going to kill her before he kills his enemies and himself because he does not want her in danger while he enacts his revenge (Behn 2354). This idea of killing one's lover as an act of bravery seems almost impossible, and yet Oroonoko only had Imoinda's best interest in mind. She allowed him to kill her and it broke his heart after he had done the deed (Behn 2355). No man could ever be so brave as to kill his lover, but he was still able to do so in order to protect her. Many may not see this as heroic, but it still took great courage and strength to commit this

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