Olaudah Equiano’s autobiography, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, The African, Written By Himself contains many appeals to cease and criminalize the practice of slavery, and although many of these appeals are logically sound materially and economically, Equiano’s personal opinion of the matter is centered within his religious and spiritual development which he hones into an effective religious argument through clever and tactful rhetoric. Although the majority of Equiano’s arguments are direct, plainly stated and contained within clearly separated sections of his work, the spiritual arm of Equiano’s persuasion appears without introduction and often acts upon the reader from outside the conscious dialog. In the narration of his story, Equiano carefully minds his word choices and the manner of his presentation to display a version of Christian reality in which Christianity and slavery must be wholly exclusive of one another. This faith-based argument is rarely indulged in openly at length, and so does not trigger racial or religious superiority complexes, and easily slips into the mind of the reader without significant. This subtlety that may be fundamental to the success of Equiano’s goal, because his argument is, at its core, a Christian condemnation of Christians.
To get away with religious condemnation without consequence, Equiano must first develop for himself the perception that he is a figure of religious authority who is justified in making such claims. By virtue of his skin color and social status, this is a difficult task which can cause great harm to the cause of liberation should he fail, and so Equiano goes about it subtly and with humility. There are two primary mechanisms by which Equiano grants himself the right to religious authority, the first being the solidification of his honorable character, and the second being convincing the audience of the intensity and completeness of his devotion to Christianity. Equiano claims many virtues, which he supports through the presentation of events from his life. The earliest example of such was his saving of his neighbors from kidnappers, “I saw one of those people come into the yard of our next neighbour but one, to kidnap, there being many stout young people in it. Immediately on this I gave the alarm of the rogue, and he was surrounded by the stoutest of them” (Equiano, Ch 2). Far later in the narrative, Equiano even attains a document from a white slave master verifying his character:
“Montserrat, January 26, 1767.
‘The bearer hereof, Gustavus Vassa, was my slave for upwards of three years, during which he has always behaved himself well, and discharged his duty with honesty and assiduity.
Robert King.”
(Equiano, Ch9)
This consistent presentation of Equiano as a man whose character would be admirable to his readers is softened and made palatable by his religious humility, which in turn empowers the impact of his religious and spiritual journey. There is nothing dishonorable about this accumulation of respect, it is absolutely necessary for Equiano’s purposes.
Equiano spends significant time presenting himself as both an intensely faithful Christian, and an uncommonly knowledgeable one, for his autobiography includes significant detail on the subject of his Christian education which he regards as so complete that he “…had frequent contests about religion with the reverend father…” (Equiano, Ch11). The intensity of his faith is conveyed by the presence of each stage in his conversion and religious education. Equiano does not hide his pre-Christian history, nor does he mock it. Instead, he shows from the beginning a tendency towards spiritual thought even as a child, when he exclaims “I was now persuaded that I had gotten into a world of bad spirits…” (Equiano, Ch 2), and displays frequent surprise at the lack of religious offerings among Europeans, “But, above all, I was amazed to see no sacrifices or offerings among them.” (Equiano, Ch 2). The presentation of his non-Christian beliefs prior to his conversion functions to increase the perceived significance of the later transformation of these beliefs, while also further separate the logic of the actions of slavers from reality by associating them with the supernatural. Throughout his narration, Equiano undergoes various religious experiences at various stages of his life which continue to compound upon one another to give the impression that his religious education is comprehensive and informed to a greater extent than most Christians, which in turn makes him appear to be a man of great character.
This combining of personal character with religious education creates for Equiano the very position of authority which he needs to pursue this like of persuasion, and through this platform Equiano can present faith-based arguments without fear of conscious repercussions. The basic essence of his argument is that slavery is not in accord with Christianity, and so the primary method of this argument is through the presentation of Christian hypocrisy both in general and specifically in relation to the torturous and malicious actions of Christian slavers. There are numerous occasions when Christian slavers perform acts which can successfully disgust readers, and whenever such an event occurs, Equiano openly asserts the Christianity of the perpetrators. Such events include the rape of slave women, with such condemnations as “it was almost a constant practice with our clerks, and other whites, to commit violent depredations on the chastity of the female slaves…I have known our mates to commit these acts most shamefully, to the disgrace, not of Christians only, but of men.” (Equiano, Ch 5), the torture of slaves “This Christian master immediately pinned the wretch down to the ground at each wrist and ancle, and then took some sticks of sealing wax, and lighted them, and droped it all over his back” (Equiano, Ch 5), and the attempt of a man to enslave the now freed Equiano with the passage “…he desired me to go in the schooner, or else I should not go out of the sloop as a freeman…I said I had been twice amongst the Turks, yet had never seen any such usage with them, and much less could I have expected any thing of this kind amongst Christians.” (Equiano, Ch9). Throughout Equiano’s misfortunes, he is deliberate and intentional when calling his abusers Christians, because his goal is not to accuse Christians as a whole of misdeeds, but to galvanize Christians who perceive themselves as moral towards the abolition of slavery by placing their own desire for goodness in such a situation that abolishment is the morally correct decision. This is in essence redirects the superiority complex which Equiano and other slaves are subjected to towards a new target, the slaver, while also allowing for the internal moral drive of these individuals to find relief for their own misdeeds through the condemnation of another.
Nowhere in Equiano’s narration are we exposed to philosophies of racism. While almost all other aspects of Equiano’s arguments contain Christianity as an underlining factor, he intentionally separates racism from Christianity thought by attributing race directly to material factors, thus declaring than any religious appeal in favor of racism void. Rather than counterarguments to specific racist justifications, Equiano presents the scientifically sound conclusions of others, which he feels accounts for all that needs to be accounted for. He denies any religiously based justifications for treatment based on skin-color, instead presenting the now accepted theory that “…the complexions of the same persons vary in different climates…Surely the minds of the Spaniards did not change with their complexions!” (Equiano, Ch 1). Equiano goes even further by presenting Greek oppression by the Turks “I was surprised to see how the Greeks are, in some measure, kept under by the Turks, as the negroes are in the West Indies by the white people. The less refined Greeks, as I have already hinted, dance here in the same manner as we do in my nation.” (Equiano, Ch 9). With these lines Equiano draws a direct comparison between Greeks and African slaves. The implication here is that the crimes which we have witnessed inflicted upon Equiano and other African slaves were also being inflicted upon Greeks. This could potentially confuse and concern European scholars who are familiar in Greek philosophy, of whom the vast majority would have been wealthy and powerful aristocrats, thus further separating the concepts of racism from the influence of religion. By de-racializing the Christian faith, Equiano not only gives other Christians leave to do so as well, but also opens the doors for them to offer their support for the cause of abolition.
Equiano makes numerous valid arguments towards the abolition of slavery, some of which are focused on economics, others are moral pleas made with rare reference to “God”, however this religious argument outshines and outclasses them all. It is the argument he is making in every paragraph from the first to the last, sometimes subtly hiding it in flat descriptions, or presenting it as his own personal feelings separate from his argument, or deftly sliding it in as though an afterthought. And yet, it is the beating heart of his message. He does not sit around writing about how profitable it would be to abolish slavery, or the potential economic value of a massive collection of consumers. These arguments, though articulate and valid and valuable for their insight, are as secondary afterthoughts to Equiano. The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano was not written by an economist for the purpose of maximizing profits of the crown, but by a human being whose greatest wish is for the torture to stop.
Bibliography
Equiano, O. (2005, March 17). The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, The African Written By Himself. Retrieved from The Project Gutenberg: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/15399/15399-h/15399-h.htm#Footnote_I_9
Sprockets and Springes 