Analysis of the Novel Wench by Dolen Perkins-Valdez - Essay Example

Women in the Past The novel Wench by Dolen Perkins-Valdez is a story concerning a slave woman who struggles to remain incontrol of some aspects of her life despite the circumstances and the environment being against her. It is the story of the slave Lizzie who is the mistress of her owner and feels a strange sort of attachment towards him. Set in a resort town in Ohio, the story revolves around a description of Lizzie’s feelings towards her owner and the complexity of their relationship in such a way that she is both his lover and his slave. Throughout the story, one comes to realize that Lizzie considers her master not only to be her lover and her ‘man’ but also to be a father figure who has taken care of her since she was barely in her adolescence. Her ability to feel this way in an environment where such relationships were frowned upon are explored by Valdez as she attempts to develop a human perspective of life in a slaveholding society. The story shows that Lizzie has become the mother of several of her master’s children and that while this may be the case, their status as slaves remain because she is also a slave. One of the twists in the story is the introduction of Mawu, who is a slave woman with an extremely independent streak. She not only fights her owner at every turn, but realizing that they are in a resort in Ohio, which is a free state, she develops thoughts of escape and encourages her fellows to do the same. One of the main themes in this story is the reality of slavery, which recurs as it unfolds and makes it possible for the institution to be viewed as it really was. Despite the fact that Lizzie is her master’s lover and has been for many years, the latter does not see it fit to free her and he instead uses her for the purpose of satisfying his desires. Furthermore, despite being the mother of his children, he does not see it fit to acknowledge them as his own. This is because their relationship, under the laws concerning slavery at the time, was deemed illegal and all children born out of it were born into slavery (Perkins-Valdez 40). Another theme which comes up is that of innocence and this is seen through the manner in which Lizzie was seduced by her master. One finds that her master, Drayle, often brought her books and also taught her how to write and for every lesson that he gave, Lizzie felt obliged to give him something in return; a touch of her small breasts, or a feel of her hips. Through the subtle manner that Drayle takes advantage of Lizzie’s innocence, she ends up submitting to his will and becomes his lover. The theme of reality can also be seen in this story especially in the instance when Lizzie declares that Drayle is her ‘man’, Mawu points out that he is not her man because the gulf that separates them is too wide. Wench is a story with diverse characters who take up different roles to ensure that the plot is enhanced. One of these is Lizzie whose role encompasses that of slave, mother, and lover to be master. Lizzie is the main character in the story and it almost completely revolves around her as she struggles to come to terms with her lot in life. Because she is her master’s lover, she feels a close attachment to him and one might even state that she is in love with him yet he does not seem to hold her in the same regard. Drayne, her master, is a slave owner who takes advantage of any opportunity that presents itself to him. This can be seen through his taking advantage of Lizzie’s innocence to lure her into becoming his lover as well as his seemingly unfeeling attitude towards her when they are not alone. One gets the feeling that despite being Lizzie’s lover, he still does not consider her to be his equal in the relationship, with him preferring to deal with their relationship according to his own terms rather than through mutual consent. Mawu is another significant character in the novel and this is because of not only her independent nature, but also because she goes against the status quo (Perkins-Valdez 254). She refuses to take part in Christian observances and instead follows the religion of her ancestors in Africa. Furthermore, while the other slave women are content with their lot as their masters’ lovers, Mawu points out that she is not and that the first opportunity that she gets, she is going to escape. She helps to show that the system of slavery which dehumanizes them and makes them mere instruments to satisfy the desires of their masters is wrong and has to be fought against. One of the emotions evoked in the novel is that of resignation and this is especially in relation to Lizzie. Lizzie seems to have accepted her lot as Drayne’s lover and this is despite the fact that she does not have any real future with him (Perkins-Valdez 93). She lives for the moment and is completely secure in her belief that her place is by his side, not even thinking of making an escape attempt in a free state like Mawu does. He love for Drayne seems to have blinded her towards the realities of the institution of slavery and the cruelties which it imposes on the slaves. One would suggest that Valdez wrote this novel for the purpose of showing the challenges that slave women went through as lovers to their masters. They seem to have briefly escaped the suffering that went with slavery when in the arms of their masters but whole this was the case, the reality was that they were still slaves (Brezina 32). Whenever they had children with their masters, these children were born slaves and their own fathers could dispose of them as they saw fit. Furthermore, the novel also shows the diverse experiences of relationships by women of color who did not have the opportunity to experience fulfilling romantic relationships with white men because such relationships were taboo and had to be conducted in secrecy. A reading which helps in the further understanding of the novel is Ar’n’t I A Woman? which shows the diverse experiences of slave women in the South. It shows a diverse number of powerful stories concerning the manner through which women related to their owners, their husbands, and lovers. It displays the difficult lives that women had to undergo, even in circumstances where they were married, when they were forced to become the lovers of their owners. Moreover, it also shows the highly independent nature of slave women and the way that they lived to ensure their survival. One such instance is shown where a slave woman refuses to be sold to her husband’s owner so that they can be together because she prefers to remain with her mistress who bought her from an extremely cruel owner (White 150). She does this out of pragmatism because she does not know whether her husband’s owner will treat her with the same kindness as her current mistress. This is a similar situation to the one facing Lizzie, who is so attached to her lover that she cannot contemplate escaping even when she has the opportunity. Among the cultural realities of the women who wrote these readings is that most of them had experienced slavery firsthand as well as the dominant white European culture. Because of this, as well as because they had lost their original African culture, they wrote in the language and culture of those who had been their masters. However, they were also influenced by the need to reveal their suffering as slaves and how, because of their strength of character, they had managed to survive and overcome the institution of slavery. A quote from Wench, “My children ain’t the only thing that I love, If I was allowed, I reckon I’d love myself too” (Perkins-Valdez 289) shows that Lizzie has come to completely dedicate her life to her children and has come to neglect herself. She has chosen to give up her self esteem to remain her master’s lover so that the interests of her children can be secured. Works Cited Brezina, Corona. Sojourner Truths "Aint I a woman?" speech: a primary source investigation. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, 2004. Print. Perkins-Valdez, Dolen. Wench: A Novel. New York: Amistad, 2011. Print. White, Deborah Grey. Arnt I a Woman?: Female Slaves in the Plantation South. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 1999. Print. Read More