Washington Black by Esi Edugyan
From the story of Washington, Esi Edugyan depicts the identity of a slave as one who does not have freedom and liberty. The identity of a slave is thus defined by a slave master and not the slave. The life at the plantation serves to show that slaves were used only as tools like nothing else. In a conversation between brothers Erasmus and Christopher Wilde, it is easy to see the value that was attached to slaves. Erasmus tells his brother that “My language cannot offend her. She has no sensibilities to offend . . . They are not the help, Titch. They are the furniture” (Edugyan 27). The furniture reference here refers to something or someone who does not have any emotions or feelings. Just as furniture carries people without talking back or complaining is the identity that the overseers at the Faith Plantation forged for slaves. Most overseers believe that the slaves are only fit for working in the plantation. For example, in this story, before Washington knew which type of slave master Titch would turn out to be he had imagined a life of cruelty and suffering (Akbar n.p). He did not have to define his identity because that had already been defined by the history of torture that the slaves had endured in the Faith Plantation. Most of the slaves had no idea of what they were or who they were supposed to be and only knew that their place belonged to the plantation (Handler and Diane 444). Additionally, slaves’ identity is difficult to define due to the fact they are not allowed to speak (Finch 115). Growing up, Wash is not fond of speaking because of the forms of punishment attached to a slave who speaks which included losing a tongue or someone dear to the slave (Gerbner 58). Subsequently, there is no freedom for the slaves in the Faith Plantation. In a conversation between Wash and Big Kit when he inquires about freedom, Big Kit tells him the only way out is death and nothing else.
A question arises whether a slave can have a true identity that defines him or her. The answer to this question is that as long as one remains as a slave then the identity is lost because it is defined by others. The slaves are treated as the property of the Faith Plantation. As with properties, it is the owner who determines their identity (Finch 121). This is conceded by Wash as he says, “What I saw in this man’s terrified me. He owned me, as he owned all those I lived among, not only our lives but also our deaths, and that pleased him too much”(Edugyan 117). However, if the slave gains freedom there is a chance that one might be able to define their identity. The story of Wash proves that even in freedom a slave still struggles to define his or her identity. Wash feels that he is nothing beyond his relationship with Titch. Subsequently, when Titch asks him to leave he states that “a panic so savage it felt as if I were being asked to perform some brutal act upon myself, to sever my own throat” (Edugyan 233). These feelings that Wash mentions are similar to those slaves feel back at the plantation. It is therefore evident that Edugyan believes that it is not the brute force that kept the slaves loyal to their masters but the fear of who they could be without them. The slave masters thus define the identity of the slave and even if they get to become free their freedom is still qualified (Handler 237). Independently, it is probably not possible for slaves to define their own identity and if it so happens a lot of barriers have to be broken. The slaves in Edugyan’s Faith Plantation appear to be resigned to their fate at the hands of their masters that it would take a lot of doing to define their identity. Even Big Kit only believed that the only way to define their fate was death and nothing else.
Self-Actualization and Identity
Edugyan presents a process of self-actualization that Washington goes through from a very scared young boy of eleven years to a mature decent man. In the case of Washington, Edugyan provides different ways in which self-actualization defines his identity. Washington defined his identity by relying on his experiences and making judgments from the circumstances that he faces. For example, Washington’s talent in drawing gives him an edge over other slaves as Titch makes him a research assistant (Gaylord n.p). His talent is his ticket to self-actualization which buys him the freedom and increases his worth which sets him on a path to defining his identity. Washington accepts that at least his talent led to inner liberation for him and a new sense of identity. Washington states that “At the easel, I was a man in full, his hours his own, his preoccupations his own” (Edugyan 56). In the end, Washington becomes an accomplished scientist to go by his artistic skills which elevates him from slave assistant to being an accomplished man who traveled the world. In this sense, Washington discovered that he had a talent in arts and pursued it as a form of self-actualization which allowed him to build his confidence and forge a new identity. In a paper that Titch submitted to the Royal Society, he gave credits to Wash for some illustrations on the images he had done (Gaylord n.p). Additionally, Washington became confident in himself and began accepting himself and other people such as Titch and his father. Through self-actualization and building a belief on himself, Washington transforms from a once timid young man who was afraid of the slave masters to an accomplished man who could dodge the bounty hunters (Miller n.p). Washington makes a bold claim by saying that “I am a Freeman now in possession of my own person” (Edugyan 12). The statement is that of a person who feels that he has accomplished a task that allows him to forge an identity away from the slave that he was meant to be. It is prudent to appreciate how far Washington comes from since the days of a slave to being an accomplished scientist. Further, Washington could move from work to another and also form meaningful relationships. It is through meaningful and personal relationships such as that with Titch and romantic on with Tanna that also shows the caring side of Washington especially as he moves around the world.
In the case of Wash, self-actualization manages to bring an autonomous feeling that makes him believe that he can no longer be treated as the property of someone else. At eighteen years of age, Wash reminds everyone of his freedom which is also a form of self-actualization since as a young boy he dreamed of freedom. In one of the conversations with Big Kit, Wash asked what the meaning of freedom was at the time. Big Kit’s reply was that it was the ability to move from one place to the other as one could desire. Wash manages to move from Barbados to Nova Scotia, Amsterdam, London, and eventually Morocco (Moseley 146). These are places that Wash did not think in his wildest dreams that could come true. Wash moved away from Barbados due to unavoidable circumstances where the alternative would have been dead but he eventually found freedom on the run and used it well. He develops into the man he would have not been had he stayed back at the sugar plantation. He develops a new identity through seeing the world and redeeming himself in profound interpersonal relationships.
Self-Actualization and True Freedom
The definition of freedom that Wash carries with him from a young age is that freedom is the ability to create something by himself without external persuasion. Wash says that “to create a world with my own hands,” (Edugyan 111). Wash pursues this belief even after they go separate ways with Titch in the Arctic. Ultimately, true freedom for Wash was tied with his ability to create with his hands. At some point, Wash is in a state of self-conversation where he questions if Titch saw him as a real capable human being or rather as a means to achieve his goals. Tanna, his lover, tells him that “The truth of the matter is that Wilde did nothing to further your cause that did not also further his own. You were a convenience for him” (Edugyan 277). The consolation that Wash takes from this conversation is that he did manage to create some scientific structures that he got recognition for in the form of credits. True freedom of Wash can also be seen when he can get employment on the basis of his scientific talents. Wash is employed at the company of G.M. Goff whom he helps develop an institutional aquarium. From there Wash manages to travel the world to London and eventually to Morocco where he feels the saltiness of the air and beyond the reach of the slave hunter. He is finally free.
Conclusion
In Washington Black, Esi Edugyan manages to create a nice historical fiction work that on one side depicts the brutality of slavery and on the other side tells a beautiful story of empowering friendship. The relationship between Wash and Titch takes the latter on an adventurous journey around the world to places he never imagined. In this creative work, Esi Edugyan manages to bring out specific themes of identity and freedom from the perspective of a slave society that treated black people as property. Esi Edugyan even incorporates magical realism in the book where we see some aspects such as cloud-cutter and putting sea creatures in an aquarium which were things of fantasy in the society at the time. In the midst of all the redemption and empowerment that Wash achieves, the book depicts heavily the brutality of slavery and the violence that was meted out to the slaves. The book presents a commendable speculative fiction of slavery.