Critical Race Theory In Washington Black Free Essay Example

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The Complexity of Identity Formation

Titch’s character has influenced a lot of who Washington is in the story, undoubtedly this is a moving and sad novel about how a slave who becomes a free man forms his own identity. How does one see themselves as a full person when they’re were born in a world where you are not considered or given the status of a human? How can one give themselves humanity when the people around them do not see them as fully human? Despite Washington's adventures he does not lead an enjoyable life because he occupies much of his life looking over his shoulder, anxious and worried that he is going to be captured and made a slave again.

Although it seems for the duration of the novel he is being influenced by individuals that he cares for, Washington always has his own identity that he builds throughout the novel. The first to really put trust in Washington is Titch, the son of the plantation owner and also part of the abolishment movement. “Tell me, child, have you ever witnessed a harvest moon through a reflector scope?” QUOTE This is one of the first interactions he makes with Titch and it marks the beginning of a friendship; a good relationship that becomes restricted due to racial differences. Titch is the first white man to treat Washington decently and as a human. It is such an alien and out of the world experience for him that when the young slave is directed to sit at the same table with the strange white man it’s seen as taboo to the dominating race. This is one of the first times that a man from a dominating class acknowledges someone from the dominated racial group. It signals to Washington the first feelings of equality and feeling human.

In Washington Black knowing his place in a prejudiced society is something Washington struggles with throughout the novel because anywhere he goes, be it Barbados, Virginia, London, the Arctic, the desert or even in Canada, being black is a burden for the dominated class. This is something which can get him in trouble and that is part of his central identity which he struggles to cope with. It doesn't matter how smart or how gifted someone is, if they're not white then they will always be inferior in the eyes of the society. Titch says in the novel to Washington Black “Be faithful to what you see, and not what you are supposed to see.” QUOTE This is Titch basically telling Washington to always look at the situation in a positive aspect because if you look at it negatively then there will always be self doubt and low esteem in him. Furthermore, Washington struggles to find his identity because he is constantly forced to look into the gap between his own unique potential and what society sees in him.

The writing is particularly strong when Edugyan writes about the psychology of her characters, what drives them to move forward and how they suffer from their own flaws, mistakes and past injuries, physical and mental. For instance, the question arises why Titch decided to help Washington: Is he, the white upper dominant class scientist and abolitionist who finances his attempts with money earned from the plantation, a good person? Or does he just pursue self-serving goals? In the novel quite frequently it seems like Titch does not know himself. Washington is not the only character who faces identity struggles; Titch himself throughout the novel does not know who he actually is and struggles to find his purpose hence his meaningless adventures from the Arctic to the desert. Titch influenced Washington’s life but he also used his racial perks and skills for his own self benefit. He considers himself more of a liberator because of how he saved Washington from what he saw has a brutal life, which just makes this thought process as bad as the ones from slave owners at the time. This is due to the fact that if one considers helping a person a mission or a burden, then how are you different from the people that are inflicting the pain? Titch’s privilege and power ultimately cloud his judgment making himself believe that as no black man is capable of saving Washington, he himself a white man is the only one that can. Titch throughout the book goes on a journey with Washington because of the bond they have, but also he continually feeds his ego by putting himself superior and higher than Washington. This is not Critical Race Theory at its pinnacle but it is more of a subtle version of superiority by feeding one's ego through perception of helping the needy.

Relationships built by Washington Black throughout the novel have contributed to who he is and how everyone in the book makes an impact on him, even though they were using him in some way or hiding their true selves from him. The first true relationship that he made was with an older woman named Big Kit, whom he deeply admired from a young age, and his admiration flowed throughout the book only growing deeper. The cruel accounts of murders and punishments are chilling and heart wrenching. Essentially Big Kit could no longer see a way out of this cruel subhumane lifestyle: “Death was a door. I think that is what she wished me to understand. She did not fear it. She was of an ancient faith rooted in the high river lands of Africa, and in that faith the dead were reborn, whole, back in their homelands, to walk again free.” (Edugyan, 8) Big Kit wanted them to both die so they would go to their ancestral land and be away from the harsh living conditions they were exposed to in the plantation. She wanted him to have a better life, and that's the only way she knew how. From the start of the book, Big Kit always seemed to be a mother figure for Washington, which was welcomed greatly by him because he was never told that he had a mother. Unfortunately for Washington later in the novel he finds out that Big Kit was actually his mother. She decided she would not act as his mother and the reason she didn't claim him was because of her fear that the truth would put a target on his back from the dominating race and the fear that they would be separated. That is the definition of a mother's love in a society where the dominated race can only turn to each other for comfort and safety whilst cowering from the dominating class that strips them of their human rights.

In a straight forward and terrifying reality where the white man's orders are the law, Big Kit was the light and joy for Washington at a young age. Not only did she care for him, she knew that without her sticking up for him, it would leave him vulnerable and weak, which is what superiority through one dominant racial group does to an individual of the dominated racial group. With the over 12.5 million Africans forced into slavery over the four hundred year period, it begs the question of how many Washingtons were lost to the gruesome plantations of the Caribbean, South Americas and North America. Even though the struggle that Big Kit and Washington Black go through it portrays what slaves have been struggling through and what could only be explained as racial superiority. For slaves to have a certain sense of belonging, they built bonds with each other, sang songs, lived the best way they could and these relationships gave slaves a sense of self-worth and belonging that often prevented them from fleeing. Once someone fled the people they loved back at the plantation would be punished severely for their act of disobedience. Slaves formed friendships and emotional attachments and displayed loyalty to one another while forced to live in this subhumane institution of forced human labour, despite the fact of having most of their lives controlled by the dominant racial group of whites.

Anywhere Washington Black travels, he faces a certain amount of discrimination by a population that considers themselves higher than him racially, which is still better than his treatment in the plantation but it is far from equal. When he escapes from the plantation, slavery is abolished, but the racism of course persisted. From his humble origins as a slave, Washington finds himself on a great journey. His journey takes him from his home in Barbados, to the high seas and even on an adventure to the Arctic. There is way more to Washington’s story than navigating the world. Washington eventually really begins to question his place in the world, and he wonders if the scars of slavery will ever wear off or last on him and his future people. He is perceived to be grotesque because of his skin. Washington thinks that when he arrives at a new place that it would be better than the plantation but on the contrary, the new location is less violent, but it's the same thinking philosophy because society is built on racial supremacy. For example in Virginia when he was waiting for Titch outside a store, and he smelled sugar which reminded of home but when he went to examine it he was attacked by the owner “'You steal that there, boy? You a runaway? Who you here with?' he took another step towards me. He was not a huge man, but he lacked fear, and I had known such men on Faith Plantation. They were the most brutal” (Edugyan, 159).

So this just showed Washington that no matter where he is in society he will always be perceived as a savage who needs to be controlled, unfortunately, this turned into a learning moment for him instead of finally feeling comfortable, he still has to be cautious. In Canada, he also gets into a fight because of his skin colour and felt the need to defend himself and his identity. In the current climate of the novel, black men were targeted because society perceives them as the aggressor and out of control group. You can see this in the media where black men are the victims of beatings, police shootings and racial profiling for just being black. An example of this is the fatal shooting of Philando Castile after being racially profiled he was killed mercilessly. What has been happening in society throughout history has continued to fester in our community today which only connects back to Critical Race Theory where the white race has superiority over other races that continues to be a reality in some eras in history.

In the novel, Washington transitions from a character who is held back and shy to debatably one of the most intelligent minds by the novel’s end. A black scholar was almost unheard of at the time. He used his intelligence for his benefits. Washington is overwhelmed throughout his travels by the vast amount of questions of his identity. He can never know how other characters, whether they be white or black, will see him negatively or positively. The scientific education he received from Titch elevates Washington's intelligence, but it also makes him a curiosity, much like the solitary little orange octopus he captures on his underwater dive to later analyze. Titch stated that he treated Washington's education as a mission to be accomplished for his ego which is just the evidence of superiority for a white man to change a black child into a “educated negro”. In the second half of the novel, Washington is largely responsible for the design of a revolutionary aquarium which shows how he uses his skills to pursue goals that he puts out for himself. Washington places his faith in science to advance human enlightenment, but midway through the novel, he experiences an abrupt wake-up call. 'I had long seen science as the great equalizer [Washington says]. No matter one's race, or sex, or faith — there were facts in the world waiting to be discovered. How little thought I'd given to how it might be corrupted'. Washington Black is not a conventional story which often can become a touching novel about a man who is intelligent but can't go anywhere in the world just because of the way racial group he was born into.

Conclusion

To conclude, racial groups are an essential component of the story in that there is a white abolitionist scientist who chooses a young slave to be his sidekick for his balloon adventure. When the white master discovers his black boy has gifted drawing skills, the boy's role quickly changes because he is useful to the white man. Though they are quite close, there is always a power differential in their relationship that greatly restricts their friendship from meaning as much to the white man as it does to the black man. Washington Black by Esi Edugyan is a tremendously thought-provoking look at a boy who becomes a man as most of the world looks at him as less than that. Washington Black's journeys throughout the novel adds changes to his identity, his relationships, and the vast amount of his intelligence. These are all a major key part of Washington's story throughout the novel as he fights to maintain a place in a society that deems him inferior due to his physical appearance.