A Close Reading of Mary Seacole’s Wonderful Adventures of Mrs Seacole in Many Lands (1857) by Jessica Wakeford
University of Salford students on the second year English Literature undergraduate module 'Victorian Literature: Progress and Panic' completed close readings of texts sourced at the Working Class Movement Library as part of their assessment. Excerpts from the best student essays are being published as a mini-series here.
Extract
I remained at Cruces until the rainy months came to an end, and the river grew too shallow to be navigable by the boats higher up than Gorgona; and then we all made preparations for a flitting to that place. But before starting, it appeared to be the custom for the store and hotel keepers to exchange parting visits, and to many of these parties I, in the virtue of my recent services to the community, received invitations. The most important social meeting took place on the anniversary of the declaration of American independence, at my brother’s hotel, where a score of zealous Americans dined most heartily – as they never fail to do; and as it was an especial occasion, drank champagne liberally at twelve shillings a bottle. And, after the usual patriotic toasts had been duly honoured, they proposed “the ladies,” with an especial reference to myself, in a speech which I thought worth noting down at the time. The spokesman was a thin, sallow-looking American, with a pompous and yet rapid delivery, and a habit of turning over his words with his quid before delivering them, and clearing his mouth after each sentence, perhaps to make room for the next. I shall beg the reader to consider that the blanks express the time expended on this operation. He dashed into his work at once, rolling up and getting rid of his sentences as he went on:—
“Well, gentlemen, I expect you’ll all support me in a drinking of this toast that I du—. Aunty Seacole, gentlemen; I give you, Aunty Seacole—. We can’t du less for her, after what she’s done for us—, when the cholera was among us, gentlemen—, not many months ago—. So, I say, God bless the best yaller woman He ever made—, from Jamaica, gentlemen—, from the Isle of Springs. Well, gentlemen, I expect there are only tu things we’re vexed for—; and the first is, that she ain’t one of us—, a citizen of the Great United States—; and the other thing is, gentlemen—, that Providence made her a yaller woman. I calculate, gentlemen, you’re all as vexed as I am that she’s not wholly white—, but I du reckon on your rejoicing with me that she’s so many shades removed from being entirely black—; and I guess, if we could bleach her by any means we would—, and thus make her as acceptable in any company as she deserves to be—. Gentlemen, I give you Aunty Seacole!”
And so the orator sat down amidst much applause. It may be supposed that I did not need much persuasion to return thanks, burning, as I was, to tell them my mind on the subject of my colour. Indeed, if my brother had not checked me, I should have given them my thoughts somewhat too freely. As it was, I said:—
“Gentlemen,—I return you my best thanks for your kindness in drinking my health. As for what I have done in Cruces, Providence evidently made me to be useful, and I can’t help it. But, I must say, that I don’t altogether appreciate your friend’s kind wishes with respect to my complexion […] as to his offer of bleaching me, I should, even if it were practicable, decline it without any thanks. As to the society which the process might gain me admission into, all I can say is, that, judging from the specimens I have met with here and elsewhere, I don’t think that I shall lose much by being excluded from it. So, gentlemen, I drink to you and the general reformation of American manners.”
I do not think that they altogether admired my speech, but I was a somewhat privileged person, and they laughed at it good-naturedly enough. Perhaps (for I was not in the best humour myself) I should have been better pleased if they had been angry.
Analysis
The opening of this extract establishes the concept of a racial hierarchy within America during the nineteenth century, most prevalently through Seacole’s use of irony. Despite the opening lines initiating a positive tone through a sense of recognition for Seacole’s “services” (Seacole, 1857), this initial notion of respect for her contributions appears immediately diminished. This shift is indicated through Seacole’s description of the setting: “The most important social meeting took place on the anniversary of the declaration of American independence” (Seacole, 1857) of which immediately suggests that the following speech will hold a western, “patriotic” (Seacole, 1857) bias. Drawing connotations of freedom and liberation, the reference to American “Independence” (Seacole, 1857) is therefore ironic when considering that the autobiographical style of black authors was largely implemented to enhance their social liberty and “talk about freedom as a theme and goal of life” (Andrews, 1988, p. xi). This idea underpins Seacole’s text, primarily through the first-person narrative voice and use of personal pronouns, outlining her first-hand experiences of racial discrimination: “I, in the virtue of my recent services to the community” (Seacole, 1857). The unequal power relation between the Americans and Mary Seacole established within this extract outlines this, particularly through stereotypical language; Seacole generalises their dispositions as “zealous” (Seacole, 1857) and outlines that they “drank champagne liberally at twelve shillings a bottle” (Seacole, 1857). The use of generalisations suggests that the group acts as a synecdoche for racial inequality in America during the Victorian era alongside reinforcing limited black “freedom[s]” (Andrews, 1988, p. xi), despite Seacole’s tone being relatively nonchalant and factual during the opening of the extract; this implies that she is underplaying the significance of social inequality in order to appear less vulnerable. The notion towards wealth by outlining the cost of champagne also highlights her feelings of displacement in such an environment by suggesting that this displacement stems from both racial and class inequality.
The resulting social disconnection between Seacole and the white Americans is reinforced through a shift in focus from generalisations to observations of the speaker’s specific actions and speech. “The spokesman” (Seacole, 1857) is described as “turning over his words with his quid” (Seacole, 1857) and “clearing his mouth” (Seacole, 1857), suggesting his deliberation and moments of pause in his speech to allow for thought. This is enforced by Seacole’s use of imperatives as a plea to the readership to carefully consider her perspective as a Creole woman “I shall beg the reader to consider that the blanks express the time expended on this operation” (Seacole, 1857). By addressing the readers directly, Seacole implores the readers to focus on his slow style of speech of which reinforces the value of the autobiographical style in expressing the author’s internal, yet bias, thoughts. Additionally, through the first-person narrative voice, Seacole’s message is more personal and therefore infiltrating. This “beg[ging]” (Seacole, 1857) also suggests a reference to the limited education of a Victorian readership on racial inequality and subsequently acts as a critique on their ignorance. This attempt to educate the readers from her own perspective continues through the use of metaphor: “He dashed into his work at once, rolling up and getting rid of his sentences as he went on” (Seacole, 1857). This implies his feelings of indifference towards Seacole despite her “services to the community” (Seacole, 1857) alongside a degree of disregard towards her work. A sense of apprehension is established here, foreshadowing the uncomfortable tone of the succeeding speech. By describing in detail how the speaker conducted this speech, Seacole is not allowing readers to establish their own interpretation as they have been directly informed on how the speech is to be read. However, as outlined by Adetayo Alabi, ‘Black autobiographies […] function not just as a record of individual activities in the various Black communities, but as a record of the struggle for survival and equality among other groups by the various communities themselves.’ (Alabi, 2005, p. 2). This suggests that bias is useful here in order for Seacole to successfully challenge the underrepresentation of black voices, experiences, and identities through autobiographical literature.
Bibliography
Alabi, A. (2005). Telling our stories: Continuities and Divergences in Black Autobiographies. Palgrave Macmillan.
Andrews, W. L. (1988). To Tell a Free Story. University of Illinois Press.
Seacole, M. (1857). Wonderful Adventures of Mrs Seacole in Many Lands. J. Blackwood.