Analyzing Fiction : The Ingrate & In the Land of Free

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Racism from white men to non-white men dominated the United States from the 19th century to early modern, and numerous authors reflected this historical fact in their literary productions as Dunbar and Far did on their works.  White men’s power caused inequality between white and non-white man as it was shown through slavery in The Ingrate by Dundar (2007) and Chinese Exclusion Act in the story of In the Land of Free by Far (2007).  Both fictions describe unfair social systems forced by white power to exploit and discriminate against people of color including Chinese and African-American.  Therefore, Dunbar and Far indicated the relationship between white men and people of color with the relationships among Mr. Leckler, Mr. Eckley and Josh, and between white lawyer and Chinese family. 

Connections among the owners of plantations, white man lawyer, slaves, and Chinese immigrant characters in Dunbar's’ and Far's works can be defined as relationships between assailants and victims who were exploited by white men.  Compared to the definite relationship between Mr. Eckley and Josh which is the relation of deceiver and victim, it is difficult to recognize connections among other characters in a first glance, since Mr. Leckler and lawyer were indirectly satirized.  In The Ingrate, Mr. Leckler depicted as a virtuous man who concerned the interest and right of his slave, and In the Land of Free, it seemed as the lawyer tried to help to bring back the Chinese child to parents in the beginning.  However, it is obvious that Mr. Leckler is the owner of a plantation who can achieve profit from exploiting his slave, Josh.  Though Mr. Leckler showed his concerns on Josh's right, he was one of the slave owners who divested freedom and educational opportunity from African-Americans.  Also, he was a white man who benefited from plantation cultivated by exploiting African-American (Hammond, 2012).  Also, Clancy, the white man lawyer in the other story took advantages from Chinese suffered from the Chinese Exclusion Act.  This lawyer showed sympathy for the tragedy of family separation and insisted he could bring back Choo’s child with good will; however, the real motivation of him was money.  Clancey represents the two-faced white man in the era of Chinese exclusion since he pretended to be a virtuous man full of sympathy but enjoyed advantages from unjust legal system abusing Chinese by asking for expensive fees.

Moreover, not only for the relationship of abuser and victim but connections among characters in the Far and Dunbar’s stories can be redefined as a superior and inferior class category.  Mr. Leckler proud himself that he taught Josh writing for the sake of the interest of his slave; however, Mr. Leckler never regarded his slave as the man same with him.  Mr. Leckler’s generosity only allowed to his subordinate and his favor on Josh was not derived from Joshua's intelligence but his self-satisfaction from believing himself as a virtuous man.  From Mr. Leckler’s enormous indignation on Josh’s escape indicates that his mercy was not for the sake of Josh but himself.  Therefore, Mr. Leckler's wrath came from the unequal relation between slave Josh and Mr. Leckler, the slave owner.  Thus, Mr. Leckler's wrath came from the unequal relation between slave Josh and Mr. Leckler, the slave owner.  Also, Clancey had a superior position in the relationship with Choo.  For instance, though Clancey asked for the excessive legal expenses, there was no way to take her child back except receiving help from Clancey by giving all the valuables of Choo.  Therefore, these relationships among the upper- and lower-class people imply the superior status that white man had in the 19th century compared to inferior treatment that colored people received as minorities. 

Relationship of colored people and white men was never equal around the 1800s to 1900s as it described in the stories of Josh and Choo and this caused hardship in non-white people’s lives.   This unequal relationship reflected on the unjust legal system such as exploitation and exclusion made United States affluent by sacrificing slaves and succeeded to exclude Chinese immigrant temporarily who contributed to the economic growth of United States with taxes (Kanazawa, 2005).  Due to these slavery and exclusion act, non-white American got irreversible pains.  Though Josh succeeded to escape and found his freedom, most of the other general slaves escaped from their master caught by slave catchers, deprived freedom again, and even severely tortured (Maxson, 2017).  Also, though Choo’s family succeed to reunite again, likewise as anything cannot compensate Josh’s lifetime which is passed without freedom and education nothing cannot recover Choo’s and her husband’s psychological traumatism from denial of their son and longing for a long time.  As Dunbar and Far did, the fictions in the 19th century described the lives of racial minorities, colored people reflecting historical facts of suffering.  Therefore, those literature reflecting the history of pain conveyed how inequality from unjust social systems based on the racial supremacy abusing colored people.  Also, these literary works are significant to emphasize the importance of equality and embracing racial differences in modern society.

 

 

References
Dunbar, P. (2007).  The Ingrate.  Guidelines: A cross-cultural reading/writing text.  Spack.  R (Ed.) Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.  (Original work published 1899) p.p. 142-147
Far, S, S. (2007).  In the Land of Free.  Guidelines: A cross-cultural reading/writing text.  Spack.  R (Ed.) Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.  (Original work published 1909) p.p. 148-155
Hammond, J. C. (2012).  Slavery, Settlement, and Empire.  Journal of the Early Republic, 32(2), 175–206.  https://doi-org.libproxy.unl.edu/10.1353/jer.2012.0029    
Kanazawa, M. (2005).  Immigration, Exclusion, and Taxation: Anti-Chinese Legislation in Gold Rush California.  The Journal of Economic History, 65(3), 779-805.  Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/3875017   
Maxson, S. D. (2017).  Stealing Freedom along the Mason-Dixon Line: Thomas McCreary, the Notorious Slave Catcher from Maryland.  Civil War History, 63(2), 210–212.  https://doi-org.libproxy.unl.edu/10.1353/cwh.2017.0030