A Heroic Man Facing the Hardships of European Living

Oroonoko was written in the seventeenth century by Aphra Behn, and she left the novel open to numerous interpretations containing various topics for discussion. Much critical acclaim focused on Oroonoko being an anti-slavery text due to Behn’s depiction of its main African characters—Oroonoko and Imoinda. This novel is very interesting based upon its conflicting views between the African and European culture. Behn is the narrator of the text but does not let her opinion about the matter of slavery known. Instead, a reader would believe she had conflicting views about slavery and the importance of a person’s race supposedly making him or her less than or better than another person. Oroonoko is said to be an African prince and is the protagonist of the novel. Though he is African, Behn portrays him as being heroic and worthy of praise as if he is a European white male. Her sympathy for him brings out her contempt and dislike of how her people—the Europeans—behave and she goes on to portray their moral values and actions in a dark light. The possibility that she is revealing her cultural preference and attitude towards slavery is quite possible based upon the way she romanticizes the relationship between Oroonoko and Imoinda through all the struggles they have to endure. But, she also acts in ways like her fellow Europeans being deceitful. Aphra Behn writes this novel about an African prince as the heroic protagonist because she wants to shed light on the unjustified t...

A Heroic Man Facing the Hardships of European Living

Login

Join