19th Century American Literature: Exploring Identity and Freedom
An Introduction to 19th Century American Literature
Impact of the French Revolution – Romanticism
Once the North American colonies were settled, the colonizers set out in search of new lands to farm, cultivate, and inhabit. Those lands lay to the west, and hence, westward expansion began, pushing into the lands of the Native Americans. This essay will examine how the marginalization suffered by the natives was largely due to racial prejudices.
W. Irving – Spain, Cooper – The Frontier; Indians
William Apess, “An Indian’s Looking-Glass for the White Man”
Thanks to historical voices like William Apess, we now know that the treatment of Native Americans by the colonizers was far from fair. The white colonizers, due to their perceived “civilization” and rationality, viewed themselves as a superior race. They confined the natives to reservations, where they could barely make a living, depriving them of their vast ancestral lands.
As was common among writers who challenged colonialism, William Apess used the Christian faith to make his point. He believed that all men were born equal. Basing his argument on his shared faith with the white men, due to his mixed ancestry, he questioned whether these practices made the white man sinful. He addressed the white men as his brothers, as “my fellow creatures,” and challenged them to confront their actions.
The treatment of Native Americans by the white colonizers was undeniably wrong. Confining them to reservations and depriving them of basic human rights was unjust.
Racism, Slavery, and Gender
Kate Chopin:”Desiree’s Bab” – Marriage and Slavery, Miscegenation;”The Story of An Hou” – Feminism
Slavery meant sacrificing your entire life for your enslaver, relinquishing your dreams, needs, and even health. Unfortunately, for many women throughout history, marriage has involved similar terms.
Marriage as a Form of Enslavement
- Many women have endured lives akin to slavery under their husbands. Wives were expected to perform all domestic duties, prepare meals, and care for the children, while the husband’s work outside the home was considered justification for her subservient position. Furthermore, women were expected to be sexually available to their husbands, mirroring the exploitation of enslaved people for sexual gratification, which resulted in many illegitimate children.
- This dynamic created an immense dependence of women on their husbands. Despite potential mistreatment and neglect, some wives, like some enslaved people, developed complex feelings for their oppressors, resulting in a kind of love-hate relationship. However, upon the death of their husbands, these women could experience a profound sense of freedom and relief, a glimmer of hope that life could be lived for themselves. This is powerfully depicted in Kate Chopin’s The Story of an Hour, where the protagonist, initially saddened by her husband’s death, experiences a surge of liberation and newfound possibilities.
In conclusion, the “contract” of marriage has often mirrored the conditions of slavery for women. This dependence can become so deeply ingrained that victims accept their situation and even develop feelings for their oppressors. Sadly, such dynamics persist today, making stories like Chopin’s relevant and thought-provoking.
Song of America
: Walt Whitman, “Song of Myself”- the poet of democracy.// The United States of America were at first called “The New World” and the Founding Fathers (and their followers) of this territory of North America tried to imagine and create a completely new world with its own systems and structures./ In relation with this, most cultural movements and consequently, literary trends tried to break up with European tradition and create complete new works and styles. They did not want to work with forms and topics related to Europe and past trends. Authors such as Walt Whitman started to praise their new country, the people and nature, as he did in his poem Leaves of Grass: They did so producing works which lacked a clear pattern, in that attempt to break with traditional form. This can be clearly seen in Whitman’s Songs of Myself, in which we can see messy and unstructured paragraphs and not clearly related topics./ In conclusion, all those attempts of creating new literature are connected with that conception of the new ideal world, planned by some arrogant leaders who did not take into account that the world, America and the natives existed before their arrival.