One of the first demonstrations of a power struggle is between Octavian's mother and her callers. She is constantly fending off unwanted advances, but even though she is treated like a queen by members of the college, as an African and a woman she is regarded as lesser by the rest of the community. This makes for complicated power dynamics, because men are expected to bow to her and court her like a woman, but she is a prisoner to their wants because of her place in society.
Octavian's mother is once again the victim of vicious power plays. When she is sent to live with a slaveowner named Mr. Sharpe, she is whipped in front of Octavian and treated as a slave. She is stripped of her dignity in front of her child, but she grasps at power int he form of pride. She wears dresses bloody with the stains from her whippings to shame Sharpe and let him know he can never truly own her.
Octavian too is subjected to Sharpe's ruthlessness. Sharpe's favorite method of feeling powerful is to degrade and dehumanize Octavian, by whipping his hand and then punishing him for bleeding, or even worse, denying him his education. Octavian studies languages and music with dedication, but is forced to give up the violin and read only tiny fragments of legal writing, if he is permitted to read at all. Sharpe says that it is because he must remove variables from the experiment, but he soon lets it slip who's really pulling the strings- investors. Money makes the world go 'round, and when the college's experiment with Octavian was funded by an unbiased donor, he was given controlled variables, an environment equal to that of a prince's. The scientists taught him “... of color, that it was an illusion of the eye, an event in the perceiver's mind, not in the object; they told me that color had no reality; indeed, they told me that color did not inhere in a physical body any more than pain was in a needle." They respected him and maintained a balance of power where neither was in control. When the project's funding was provided by wealthy slaveowners, things took a turn for the worse. Slaveowners didn't want Octavian to be proven as their equal, they wanted him bound and enslaved with the rest of his people. And, they had the money, so they "...they imprisoned me in darkness; and though there was no color there, I still was black, and they still were white; and for that, they bound and gagged me.” This passage shows Octavian's ideas about race and power, and how something like an "illusion of the eye" can make a man feel entitled to such power.
Octavian nothing provides interesting insights into the battle against racism and for civil rights. One conversation sticks in my mind, when Octavian argues with Sharpe about the crimes of slavery. Sharpe retaliates-
"They are not crimes," said Mr. Sharpe. "Your escape is a crime."
Octavian's mother is once again the victim of vicious power plays. When she is sent to live with a slaveowner named Mr. Sharpe, she is whipped in front of Octavian and treated as a slave. She is stripped of her dignity in front of her child, but she grasps at power int he form of pride. She wears dresses bloody with the stains from her whippings to shame Sharpe and let him know he can never truly own her.
Octavian too is subjected to Sharpe's ruthlessness. Sharpe's favorite method of feeling powerful is to degrade and dehumanize Octavian, by whipping his hand and then punishing him for bleeding, or even worse, denying him his education. Octavian studies languages and music with dedication, but is forced to give up the violin and read only tiny fragments of legal writing, if he is permitted to read at all. Sharpe says that it is because he must remove variables from the experiment, but he soon lets it slip who's really pulling the strings- investors. Money makes the world go 'round, and when the college's experiment with Octavian was funded by an unbiased donor, he was given controlled variables, an environment equal to that of a prince's. The scientists taught him “... of color, that it was an illusion of the eye, an event in the perceiver's mind, not in the object; they told me that color had no reality; indeed, they told me that color did not inhere in a physical body any more than pain was in a needle." They respected him and maintained a balance of power where neither was in control. When the project's funding was provided by wealthy slaveowners, things took a turn for the worse. Slaveowners didn't want Octavian to be proven as their equal, they wanted him bound and enslaved with the rest of his people. And, they had the money, so they "...they imprisoned me in darkness; and though there was no color there, I still was black, and they still were white; and for that, they bound and gagged me.” This passage shows Octavian's ideas about race and power, and how something like an "illusion of the eye" can make a man feel entitled to such power.
Octavian nothing provides interesting insights into the battle against racism and for civil rights. One conversation sticks in my mind, when Octavian argues with Sharpe about the crimes of slavery. Sharpe retaliates-
"They are not crimes," said Mr. Sharpe. "Your escape is a crime."
"How?"
"It is the theft of my property. Your labor belongs to me."
"When did I sell it?"
"Your body belongs to me."
"When did I—"
"Good God! How!" yelled Mr. Sharpe, striding to the door and unlocking it. "Put the mask back on him! I do not need to argue points with a specimen."
This conversation sums up what I believe this book was all about. Octavian is equal to, or even superior to his "owners" but they still have power over him. Sharpe can't win the argument, so he calls Octavian names in attempts to dehumanize him and then resorts to brute force to beat him. Even then, Octavian was the true winner. The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing is an excellent book filled to the brim with intriguing ideas on power, race and what it means to be human.
This is a great essay! I like the claim and all the details and examples were great. I especially loved the elaborations. My favorite part was the conversation at the end. That was marvelous and made the essay stand out to me. Great job over all and I hope to continue reading great essays! It sounds like an interesting book, by the way.
ReplyDeleteThought provoking work, Shanthi!
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