12 Years a Slave in the Marxist lens

An analysis of the novel 12 Years a Slave in the Marxist lens

12 Years a Slave is an 1853 narrative memoir written by Solomon Northup— one of many narratives that exposed the brutal truth about slavery. The memoir turned Hollywood film starring Chiwetel Ejiofor as Solomon is a great success. 12 Years a Slave received widespread critical acclaim, and was named the best film of 2013 by several media outlets. The film was also awarded the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts recognized it with the Best Film, and won an Oscars last 2013.

Source: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/12_Years_a_Slave_(film), 2014)

Solomon Northup’s 12 Years a Slave recounts the author’s life story as a free black man from the North who was kidnapped and sold into slavery in the pre-Civil War South. The son of an emancipated slave, Northup was born free. He lived, worked, and married in upstate New York, where his family resided. He was a multifaceted labourer and also an accomplished violin player. In 1841, two con men offered him lucrative work playing fiddle in a circus, so he TRAVELED with them to Washington, D.C., where he was drugged, kidnapped, and subsequently sold as a slave into the Red River region of Louisiana. For the next twelve years he survived as the human property of several different slave masters, with the bulk of his bondage lived under the cruel ownership of a southern planter named Edwin Epps. In January 1853, Northup was finally freed by Northern friends who came to his rescue. He returned home to his family in New York and there, with the help of Editor David Wilson, wrote his account in 12 Years a Slave.

Source: http://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/t/twelve-years-a-slave/at-a-glance

The story of 12 Years a Slave is one of the best pieces that suits on the Marxism literary criticism for it tackles about social classes, racism, slavery, and the class warfare between the blacks and the whites. 

This paper aims on the analysis of the novel 12 Years a Slave, an autobiographical novel written by Solomon Northup, through the Marxist lens:

It was shown in the work the discrimination amongst the black and white in America. The blacks are treated as slaves. In the story of 12 Years a Slave, the author showed how black men were sold to white men as workers on their fields. The author clearly exposed the bad treatment of the white men to the slaves starting from the “buying and selling”; the facts about the time, places, people, and the practices during those times of inequality and injustice among the blacks who are known as niggers.

The author also showed the different facets of slavery and ownership. Solomon Northup’s autobiographical novel presented not only the story of his life as a victim of slavery for 12 years, but also brought up life lessons and warnings to all generations that slavery could happen anytime, to anyone. However slavery in its modern forms is far from finished but still the violence of slavery shown in Northup’s is still common in some places across the world.

The beating and flogging and even the cases of rapes depicted in the film prove how inferior and unfortunate the black men during the 19^th century slavery in America. The treatment of the working class is definitely not for human. They were the Lord’s/owner’s pets and toys; their lives are only mean to serve the whites and rulers but never as free souls. They are treated as properties not human beings.

The novel was written in the view of a slave— the one who has the first-hand experience of slavery. The author himself is the primary witness, he himself experienced the pain of beating and flogging, he himself heard the cry of every slave, the weeping, the fear, the loneliness, the search for hope, and everything a slave would think of and feel…he knows, he experienced that all.

            The work advocate changes on the economic and social status quo. The author’s main motive is to make a change—break the practice of slavery in America. His memoir was used as a tool for bending whatever practices that step on the rights of human especially the biases on one’s colour and nationality.

How do characters overcome oppression? It is his faith and hope that saved him. Once a man became a slave, he will remain slave until his last breath. The only remedy is the possibility of having a not-so-rude master/lord. For example, Solomon described Mr William Ford as a kind master, devout in his Christian faith, and given to generosity toward his slaves. Solomon finds it almost a pleasure to be in Ford’s service and Solomon is well-liked by Ford. However, the next days have not gone well with them. Mr Ford was forced to sell his slaves due to some financial difficulties.

Does the work propose some form of utopian vision as a solution to the problems encountered in the work? Yes. After Solomon had saved from slavery, he went back home to utter apologies to his family which he hasn’t seen since the kidnapping. But the story doesn’t end up like that. Solomon laid his concerns in the court everything about slavery. He fought for his friends and the people he may or may not know for the sake of being free as the butterflies outside.

What roles do the class systems play in the work? It builds walls between the working class and the ruling class. The class system divides the people in accordance to their color. They have been creating archetypes that black men are the less fortunate, only meant for their services only, properties, and whatever you want to call them except humans. On the other hand, white men are looked at as aristocrats, powerful, all knowing, etc.

Lastly, does the literature reflect the author’s own class? Yes and no. originally, Solomon is a free man though he’s black. We can say that he, the author, does not reflect his own class because at the very beginning, it was shown and stated that he is and should not be treated as “slaves”. However, it seems like his skin color always betrays him.

Yes, the literature somehow reflects the author’s own class because his color made him one of them—slaves. In those 12 years of slavery, his eyes saw and witness the brutality of white men to the blacks. He had heard the cry of those fellows more likely one of them. 

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/12_Years_a_Slave_(film), 2014

http://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/t/twelve-years-a-slave/at-a-glance