"Our Nig"

Paper Summary:

Harriet E. Wilson's work, "Our Nig: or, Sketches from the Life of a Free Black", is a novel that reveals the effects of racial prejudice, domesticity, and motherhood, as well as rebellion and the quest for freedom from oppression. This paper compares the book with others that share these themes, namely, Frederick Douglass's "'Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass" and Harriet Jacobs's work, "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl".

From the Paper:

"Our Nig provides a disturbing portrait of the hypocrisy of many of the novel's white people who profess to be supporters of black rights. Even Mr. Bellmont, who is kindly and sympathetic to Frado's plight, seems to be powerless to help her. While he speaks up in support of Frado's right to be treated well, he takes few actions to truly help her. For example, as Frado is being beaten by Mrs. Bellmont for pushing Mary into a stream, Mr. Bellmont conventiently leaves Frado to her fate. Afterwards, he is kind to her and nurses her wounds, but his hypocrisy is revealed in his lack of action in preventing this and further abuses."

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