Slavery And The Caribbean Family

In the eyes of outsiders, the term ‘Caribbean’ conjures ideas of a picturesque paradise- a place overrun by cultural diversity, a blend of colourful languages, warm people and a vibe incomparable to any other. And, although this may be true, for natives, the reality of everyday life is a musky reflection of a past that still reeks of the brutality and viciousness of colonialism. So, despite 200 years of freedom from colonial powers, the socio-economic structure of the islands is still heavily influenced by the past; this influence though subtle it may be, can be identified in the class struggle still evident throughout various societies, the hierarchical structure of political structures and even in the multiplicity of religious entities. But, Senior in her presentation of “Country of the One Eye God” and “Bright Thursdays” explores the invisible hand that colonisation plays in the psychological and moral fibre of Caribbean societies by divulging the thematic concern of family relationships.

Presently, the familial structure that exists in the Caribbean has been heavily influenced by several historical and social factors such as industrialization, poverty and most significantly slavery. From Columbus’ discovery of the islands onwards, the impact of Europe has been profound as even with absence of the imperial rule in modern societies, the Caribbean still walks in its shadows. With the introduction of the Slaves’ Atlantic Trade and the Middle Passage, Africans lost not just their physical land and wealth, but the dehumanizing nature of slavery also robbed them of their fundamental right to schooling, salaries and their human dignity. They were torn away from their homeland and people to face the harsh reality of the scorching sun and the harshness of toiling. They were insulted, beaten, sold, raped and murdered on the basis that they were animals- viable to be sold and bought without question. But besides these obvious ills of slavery that usually populate history books, there were also far reaching effects that are not visible to the human eye but runs deep in the psyche of descendants. The vicissitudes of slavery destroyed African familial structures and gave rise to a multiplicity of black family constellations that continue to exist today. This is evident in both “Country of the One Eye God” and “Bright Thursdays” as Senior presents two extremely different storylines with one common tread ‘absent fathers’. The impact of slavery on black families is adverse especially because slave owners had the privilege of separating families resulting in single- parent households; in addition, they could easily exploit women sexually. Some of the women who were involved in sexual relations with their owners gave birth to children, but such facts did not help the women and their children to get free, instead, slave owners would sell away such women, giving them no chance to see their families again.

The latter is seen in Senior’s penning of “Bright Thursdays” which tells of the experiences of young Laura, who is sent by her mother to live with her paternal grandparents in hopes of her achieving a higher standard of life. Nevertheless, despite her mother’s intentions being essentially good, Laura finds herself in a strange place that silently mocks her colour difference and her illegitimacy. Only a child, Laura finds life to be cold and harsh not because of her own doing but rather due to the former sins of her parents, who according to the natural order of society should never under any situations be joined together because of their evident differences in social standings. Her father Bertram is painted as the epitome of masculinity; born privileged and entitled on the basis of his manhood, colour and status, “Mr Bertram was a young man of high estate. Very high estate” while her mother Myrtle was “a young servant”, the disparity between Bertram and Myrtle models the relationship that usually exist between buccra masters and slave women as though society forbade the blending of races, the so called ‘superior race’ often freely exploited those beneath them with the only consequence being ‘bastard children’ that were in turn ignored. In response to Myrtle’s pregnancy, Bertram like slave masters is freed of responsibility “he had been shipped off to the United States… and nothing further had been heard from him. ”

Now with Bertram out of the picture, Laura is subjected to a dysfunctional family in which her mother had to shoulder the burden of providing the children with both basic and psychological support. This feature is also a direct allusion to family dynamics in the Caribbean as it is norm for young women seated at the bottom of the social stratum to bear multiple children for multiple men and having to take up menial tasks to ensure her own survival and that of her children as they have no support from fathers. Similarly, Senior’s “Country of the One Eye God” gives insight into the life of the aging matriarch Ma Bell who is faced with the prospect of death at the hands of her grandson. Ma Bell like Myrtle is presented against a backdrop of poverty and abandonment yet remains towering and undefeated even amongst the most adverse situations. Since birthing her first child at age sixteen Ma Bell has dedicated her life to raising both her children and grandchildren respectively. And despite their abandonment, Ma Bell takes pride in having raised children who were able to escape the life she was subjected to. Senior’s representation of Ma Bell as a strong woman relentless against the hardships of life, is symbolic of the ‘Caribbean woman’ who is known to remain resilience in the face of struggles, setbacks and triumphs. In addition, the dynamics of Ma Bell’s family is also indicative of Caribbean traditions- the absence of a male figure, migration of her children and her dual role as both mother and grandmother. Through the portrayal of Ma Bell, Senior also shows the placement and subsequent undermining of women in a patriarchal society. Much like primitive societies, women in the Caribbean are obliged to live in the obscurities of the ‘stronger sex’. And even with changing times and ideologies women are still viewed as nurturers, caregivers and the very pillars that hold the family together with or without the assistance of a male counterpart. Durant – Gonzalez in his analysis of Caribbean women “speaks of the family as the realm of the female responsibility” (1984), bringing to the fore the idea that the role of the male in the matters concerning family will always be considered beneath that of the female.

The absence of any father figure forces Ma Bell to assume the position of sole provider for both herself and her children. Despite being poor she offers each child she rears emotional, financial and moral support “sometime I would starve if it was for them”, this sacrificial giving of self to ensure the wellbeing of the children highlights how difficult it was for her to provide alone. This trend of absenteeism in fathers is a common feature in Caribbean societies and is said to have its roots in slavery as men were involuntarily separated from their families or blatantly used as breeders. However, Caribbean men seem to have mastered Houdini’s art of disappearing as even now, men are still deserting women, leaving them to fend for themselves and their progenies without any help. This perpetual cycle of breeding and disappearing seems favourable only to men, as this misogynistic act always leaves the women holding the shorter end of the stick, an act society seems to accept. The radical nature of the feminist theory would highlight this as being masculine bias as Bertram like other men are never called to answer for their shortcomings and are often let off the hook. Women on the other hand are forced to carry their cross openly and for an entire lifetime. The female is consistently presented as the weaker sex and dependent on men throughout the story. One such prime example is Senior’s portrayal of Myrtle, who at seventeen meets twenty-eight years old Bertram, at this point the scale is immediately unbalanced as the age difference suggests that Myrtle is naïve and unexperienced thus easily exploitable.

However, this disparity is overlooked, and she is instead labelled as the ‘uppity black gal” that seduced a man of power because she was ‘dying to raise their colour’. Ironically as well although Myrtle tries her best to give Laura a better life she does this not in hopes that the child will break the cycle of poverty but more so that Bertram her father will eventually return to claim her as his own. Another instance in which a female character is seen at the mercy of men is in Laura’s desperate response to her father, “for all the woman’s attentions, it was the man that she wanted to attend her, acknowledge her, love her. But he never did. ” Contrastingly, Senior in “Country of the One Eye God” inadvertently challenges the tenets of the patriarchal society by pitching Ma Bell as strong and resilient without the help of the male, an approach that would fit perfectly with the feminist who seeks to reconstruct the perception of women in relation to men. Senior attempts and is partially successful in nullifying the idea that women are utterly hopeless and incomplete without the help of men as Ma Bell is seen as being somewhat successful in manoeuvring life’s obstacles. However, with the introduction of the male character, Jacko, Senior reverts the script as Ma Bell shrinks in the presence of Jacko, the ‘superior sex’. In doing this as well as highlights the harshness with which Jacko addresses the woman who raised him, Senior shows that the power struggle between man and woman will forever be consistent. And even with acquired skills and strength the female experience will continue to fall in the shadows of men.