The use of slave labor is one of the most shameful pages of human history, which has not yet been completed since slavery still exists in the modern world. Seduced by the possibility of quick enrichment, the users of slave labor of both the past and the present, betrayed their humanity due to power and money. They did everything possible to protect themselves without thinking about the consequences for enslaved people. The devastating effects of this phenomenon are thought of by various philosophers, thinkers, economists, and other concerned people. In his book Middle Passage, Charles Johnson also raises the topic of slavery in its various aspects – debt, colonial, and internal. Despite the fact that slavery is not only morally unacceptable but also destructive for society, a lot of efforts are still required to eradicate it completely.
The protagonist of Middle Passage, a freed slave Rutherford Calhoun, gets on the ship Republic going to Africa for new slaves. It is his attempt to avoid a forced marriage and blackmailing of a criminal to whom he owes money. Moreover, after sailors discover an unwanted passenger, he is also forced to work without pay. In Africa, the team takes representatives of the Allmuseri tribe with them, as well as their sacred treasures. Dissatisfied with their position, black people revolt on the ship. After that, the captain, having lost control, commits suicide, and the other surviving members of the team cannot understand the vessel’s location. The situation is complicated by consequences after a storm and uprising – the Republic is badly damaged, and the personnel is not enough to manage it. Circumstances lead to a wreck, and only a few people survive thanks to another vessel Juno.
Middle Passage is interesting for readers not only by the richness of events but also by a variety of symbols, metaphors, and themes that fill it. Having recently received freedom, the protagonist is trying to avoid another coercion – an unwanted family life. At the same time, he is a financial prisoner, as he owes a considerable amount to the criminal. Slavery, in its various forms, manifests itself in unexpected places and haunts Calhoun. However, readers can see the devastating consequences of this phenomenon in the events on the vessel. It represents a powerful allegory – “A ship is a society, if you get my drift. A commonwealth, Mr. Calhoun “(Johnson 131). Moreover, the ship’s name and the indicated date of birth of its captain – July 4, 1776, leaves no doubt that the boat embodies the American state. Through this allegory, the author expressed his concern about the destructive influence of slavery not only on the oppressed but also on the oppressors.
The Allmusic prisoners are indifferent to the fate of the ship, which brought them so much misfortune, as well as slaves, cannot take care of the future of the country, which divided the families and captivated them. Both of them can destroy the shelters of their enslavers without worrying about harming themselves as well since this is better than no freedom. On the ship, as in society, power over someone else’s life poisoned the minds of people, there are also those who see injustice but are afraid to fight it. Disrespect for the values of the oppressed, pressure on them, and absence of protection gave rise to resistance and unrest. It seems that only Calhoun understands that everyone can only survive together – he is in the minority, like everybody who shares this opinion.
Thus, presenting the country’s model on the ship Republic, Charles Johnson demonstrated the detrimental effect of slavery on society. It gives too much power to wealthy people, awakening greed, a tendency to violence, and other negative qualities in them. Rapid enrichment of slave labor makes it necessary to hide the bad attitude towards these workers by any means. As a result, not only various ways of compelling to work appeared but also ways to hide and justify such actions. Slaveholders did not pay attention to the fact that these actions destroyed not only morality but also the state itself. Moreover, slavery gives captive peoples grounds for hatred and the struggle for their freedom at all costs, which ultimately also takes many lives and bring sufferings.
Works Cited
Czopp, Alexander M. “The Consequences of Confronting Prejudice.” Confronting Prejudice and Discrimination, edited by Robyn K. Mallet and Margo J. Monteith, Academic Press, 2019,pp. 201–221.
Johnson, Charles. Middle Passage. Scribner, 1990.
Thijs, Jochem, and DeaPiscoi. “Perceiving Discrimination in ‘Real life’: Distinguishing Negative Events from Discrimination Attributions.” Basic and Applied Social Psychology, vol. 38, no.3,2016,pp. 166–172.
“Types of Discrimination.” CDC, 2017. Web.