Race and Religion in Olaudah Equiano's "Interesting Narrative"

Paper Summary:

The author states that in American society there is a backbone of religious intolerance; but, for the most part, the races have been forced to live and work together, thus racial inequality on the surface has been transcended. The author continues that in Equiano's "Interesting Narrative" the concepts of race and religion intertwine, and the violence in the text is often caused by differences in race and religion narrative. The paper concludes with the comparison of Equiano's concept of race and religion to that of the authors Cahan ( "The Rise of David Levinsky"), Forster ( "A Passage to India" ) , Roth ("Call it Sleep") and Sachs ("Black Hamlet").

From the Paper:

"Equiano mentions his sadness at leaving his schoolteacher first, before his experiences with religion and God. Indeed, the Miss Guerins were recognized first for teaching him to read, and then for imparting the "knowledge of God." Equiano also recognizes his social acclimations " how to conduct himself " and above all, the valuable presents he receives. Indeed, even in the face of religion, Equiano remains entirely a secular narrative force. Religion can only rank as a backdrop or a background theme and the forefront is secular life experience."

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