Oroonoko, the Villian: Analysing the misogynist 

Pity Parker

Aphra Behn, the first professional women writer has been hailed for her canonical novella “Oroonoko”. ‘She was the threatening figure who undermined certain assumptions about the masculine realm of letters’. Virginia Woolf hails Behn in her work saying ‘All women together, ought to let flowers fall upon the grave of Aphra Behn... for it is she who earned them right to speak their minds.’ Some of her detractors accuse her for her ‘masculine part’. The masculine and feminist agenda behind the play’s motive is a matter of deep discussion, debate and controversy. This is also because of the two different understandings. When the novel is treated as fictitious account, these ‘masculine part’ seems to rise above. ‘Ernest Bernbaum published two essays castigating Behn for passing off fictional account as  a truth’. Some even opined that she ‘deliberately and circumstantially lied’ in the novella. I shall now put the historical setting of the novel aside and treat it as a pure fictitious account. It’s actually a matter of big debate why Behn was hailed as being a feminist despite these contradictory opinions of the thinkers later. The agenda behind the play can get revealed only when the leading character ‘Oroonoko’ is discussed in detail with a pre-condition of treating the novel as a fiction but the fact that Behn, as she reassures that she is the only female pen shan’t be kept aside.

 

The narrator (Behn) introduces Oroonoko after revealing her objective in penning it. She wonders of the humanity learned by the prince at such an young age (seventeen). He was even hailed having ‘the real greatness of the soul’, ‘absolute generosity’, ‘the softness that  was capable of the highest passions of the love and gallantry’ and ‘the bravest soldiers ever seen on the field of mars’ This descriptions made by the narrator make us feel happy of attributing such great notions to a black prince.

A learned man

By the descriptions of the narrator we come to know that he is a very learned man and a diplomat. When Behn talks about the societal conditions, she explains that there is lot of barbarity in people but when she started describing about Oroonoko she saw ‘nothing barbarity in his nature, but in all the points addressed himself as if his education had been in some European court’. The narrator also brings into the account of The French man of wit  and learning, the tutor of black prince perceiving Oroonoko as ‘very ready, apt and quick of apprehension’. She says that the French tutor took a great pleasure to teach him morals, science and he valued his tutorship as the ‘beloved’. The wit and diplomacy he possessed was at a greater level. The narrator says that ‘whoever had heard him speak would have been convinced of their errors’.

The ‘royal’ slave – a connotation

Oroonoko is described as the courageous man. He ‘could bear a bow in his hand, and quiver his back, was sent into the field to be trained up by the oldest generals in the war’. The narrator says that she had conversed with this great man feels proud to bring before the  reader, ‘the most illustrious courts could not have produced a braver man of both greatness of courage and mind and a judgement more solid, a wit more quick and a conversation more sweet and diverting’

This great exaggerations slackens its pace when the text progresses. The novella bears the title of this leading character ‘Oroonoko’ with a tagline ‘The royal slave’. This world  royal slave has a denotation and also a connotation. The denotation which everybody knows is because the black prince turned as a slave, so is the royal slave. The important connotation which I would like to bring forward is that the world ‘royal’ denotes the aristocratic  behaviour and the honour to the royalty and its principles. Oroonoko can be definitely called as a slave to ‘the royal’. When his beloved Imoinda is captured by the old king (his grandfather) his inability to question the exploitative terms of the prince and bend himself before ‘the royal’. It is evident here that the leading character is ready to sacrifice his beloved for the ‘royal’ prestige. The narrator says that ‘whoever had heard him speak would have been convinced of their errors’ but his silence about Imoinda’s exploitation makes it clear  that its a sweet lie and I feel that the narrator is portraying the contradictory and patriarchal arrogance the man possesses.

The opportunist

Oroonoko is the cause of loss of father to Imoinda. This he tries to console by marrying her and to give a good life but this marriage he keeps as a secret. Later it is because of him Imoinda gets into trouble and gets exploited by his grandfather. It is clear beyond doubt that Imoinda is doubly oppressed due to Oroonoko but having a hard heart he fails to protect her  or at least open his mouth to voice against his grandfather. This exploitation by this grandfather and grandson doesn’t end. It continues to haunt her even in Surinam. He makes Imoinda bear a baby in the world of obscurity and he is very opportunistic in using Imoinda’s pregnancy as a chance to get out from Surinam and it is finally himself who kills Imoinda.

Oroonoko is the cause of continuance of slavery in the black land. He is largely engaged in slave trade. He is like merchant who tags a certain price to each lot and urn people in to objects. When he gets wed with Imoinda he even presenter her ‘an hundred and fifty slaves in fetters’. The pain of being a slave he didn’t feel until he gets traded as a slave and he makes a long speech which makes clear his ambiguity in his character.

In his speech he says

“My dear friends and fellow sufferers, should we be the slaves to an unknown people? Have they vanquished us nobly in a fight”

It is clear that this speech that Oroonoko is a clever opportunist in not leaving any chance for his greater good even by scarifying love, emotions and people

Conclusion

Behn is very tactful in using the character to portray the patriarchal arrogance of the society. She is successful in showing the complete paradox of the character within the story. Calling Oroonoko a protagonist is the biggest farce. It is Imoinda who is the protagonist, brave and courageous. The narrator would have been aware of the fact the men dominance in the  literary arena so she silently weaves a story where the misogyny is passively portrayed.

***