The Quadroons

"The Quadroons" is a short story written by Lydia Maria Child and published in the Liberty Bell in 1842. This short story illustrates what happens to mixed-race women in the early nineteenth century. "The Quadroons" is a very influential text pertaining to mulatto/mixed-race people. A prominent example of its influence can be found in Brown's Clotel, although significant parts of the text are almost a duplicate of Child’s short story, Brown’s work offers more in-depth scenarios involving mixed-raced people.

The author
"The Quadroons"
AuthorLydia Maria Child
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Published inLiberty Bell
Publication date1842

Background

Lydia Maria Child was born on February 11, 1802, as Lydia Francis.[1] Her birthplace was Medford, Massachusetts, and she was the youngest out of six children. Child was known to be one of the most influential female writers in her time. She was an advocate for Native Americans, women, and slaves.[1] In the 1830s, Child and her husband joined a group of antislavery reformers under the influence of William Lloyd Garrison, who was the leader.[1] Even before she joined this organization she was an abolitionist and an advocate against slavery, but the group helped her in writing for the abolitionist and slavery cause.[1]

Scholars credit Child with the invention of the Tragic Mulatta.[2] Many scholars also attribute Child as being the first person to introduce the trope in American Literature.[3] In her stories, Child shows oppressed mixed-race women, most of which are slaves that try to comply with white race society, but it usually ends in tragedy for the mixed-race women.[3] In her stories, she uses the term "mulatta" as a symbol of slavery. The symbolization hints at the evils and injustices of slavery and immoral values of slavery.

There were many legal codes that reigned over miscegenation practices in the seventeenth century.[4] The colonial British regime and the post-Revolutionary political order of America created many laws that decided who was a slave or a citizen. The prohibition of mixed-race marriages and mixed-race children that came from these marriages created a new caste system within America.[4] These new miscegenation laws catered towards whiteness and decided the overall blackness of the individual who was enslaved and deprived of their rights.[4] Lydia Maria Child created an abolitionist agenda for civil rights and miscegenation in her short story, "The Quadroons".[4] She concluded from her research of mixing race that the most horrible effect of slavery in America were the choices of a person's sexual partner, family dynamics, and cohabitation arrangements.[4]

Influence

Child's works tackled economical, social, racial and sexual issues that provoked movements inside and outside the literary world. A work that was influenced by "The Quadroons" is Clotel by William Wells Brown. Harriet Jacobs's Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, although an autobiography and not a work of fiction, has been interpreted as "a retelling" of "The Quadroons".[3]

Tragic Mulatto(a)

This literary trope is the discussion or theme found within narrative writings that involves a mixed-race and a white-passing woman who falls victim to the white patriarchal society and its counterparts. This ‘mulatta’ woman ultimately falls in love with a white man, but a spiral of events and the underlying notion that her ‘condition’ prevents her from living a fulfilling life. This woman is described to be depressed, sullen, and incapable of an independent life from a man, where later the narrative almost always ends in tragedy: most notably, suicide.

Acclamation

Famous antislavery agitator, William Lloyd Garrison, hailed her as “the first woman in the republic.” [5] The Radical Republican Senator Charles Sumner credited Child’s with inspiring his career as an advocate of racial equality and sought her advice on Reconstruction policy.[5] Edgar Allen Poe praised her novel Philothea as an honor to our country and a single triumph for our own countrywomen.[5]

Characters

Xarifa

Translates to 'free spirit,' 'visionary,' and 'highly attractive.'[6] Desirability and the art of seduction is often referenced when defining this name.[7] Her desirability also refers to her relationship with her master who, in perspective, also desired her for her biracial background and the vulnerable state she was in. Within the text, Xarifa, an Octoroon, is loved by both her parents, but because of the inherit views and presiding values placed on mixed-raced couples of this era, she lived an isolated and tragic life that later ends with death.

  • "Xarifa was a raving lunatic. That pure temple was desecrated; that loving heart was broken." [8]

George

The name George is from the Greek name Georgios and derived from the Greek word georgos, translates to either farmer or earth-worker.[9] George was the harp teacher that was hired to teach Xarifa by Edward. He fell in love with Xarifa and planned to run away to France and marry her even though she was only 15.

  • "Being thus encouraged, rather than checked, in his admiration, George Elliot could not be otherwise than strongly attracted to his beautiful pupil. The lonely and unprotected state in which her father's death left her, deepened this feeling into tenderness. And lucky was it for her enthusiastic and affectionate nature; for she could not live without an atmosphere of love."[8]

Edward

Edward is derived from the Old English Eadweard, a compound name composed of the elements ēad (prosperity, wealth) and weard (guardian, protector). Edward is a royal name, having been born by three Anglo-Saxon kings and the eight kings of England. Currently, the name is born by Prince Edward (b. 1964), the youngest son of Queen Elisabeth II and Prince Philip.[10] Edward is the white man who falls in love with a Quadroon named Rosalie. He leaves her for political gain and a white woman of higher status named Charlotte. He then becomes heartbroken after Rosalie's death, and drinks himself to death.

  • “'The last!' exclaimed he, with a wild shriek. 'Oh, God, Rosalie, do not say that!' and covering his face with his hands, he wept like a child."[8]

Rosalie

The name Rosalie is of French origin meaning "rose".[11] Rosalie is a Quadroon who falls deeply in love with a white man, Edward, where they later birth Xarifa. She tries to hide Xarifa to keep her from the hazards of the world by keeping her isolated. She then finds out that Edward is to be married to a new woman and later dies of a "broken heart."

  • “'It is our last. To meet thus is henceforth crime. God bless you. I would not have you so miserable as I am. Farewell. A last farewell.'”[8]

Plot Summary

Lydia Maria Child starts this short story at a cottage in Augusta, GA, before the Civil War.[12] The two main characters, Rosalie, a "quadroon," and her husband Edward, a "Georgian," were together with "a marriage sanctioned by Heaven, though unrecognized on earth."[13] Through their love, they had a daughter named Xarifa. "Her complexion, of a still lighter brown than Rosalie's, was rich and glowing as an autumnal leaf."[8] She was taught to read and write at a young age and always had the finest teachers, but "Xarifa learned no lessons of humility or shame, within her own happy home; for she grew up in the warm atmosphere of father's and mother's love, like a flower open to the sunshine, and sheltered from the winds."

As the story went on, Edward began to get involved in politics. He knew he needed leverage, so he married a wealthy white woman for financial and political gain. This destroyed the "marriage" between him and Rosalie. He asked her to be his mistress, but she declined it because she knew she wouldn't have him to herself. Rosalie and Xarifa lived alone in the cottage until Rosalie died of heart break from losing Edward. Xarifa was taken care of by people that her father hired. Edward would then buy her love until he became engulfed with alcoholism due to his overwhelming guilt behind Rosalie's death. His drinking became his downfall as he later fell off a horse and died while drunk.

Cottage

Xarifa was being taught how to play the harp by George and later fell in love with him. They planned to move to France together, but Xarifa was sold into slavery before this could occur. Since "Rosalie, though she knew it not, had been the daughter of a slave; whose wealthy master, though he remained attached to her to the end of her days, had carelessly omitted to have papers of manumission recorded," Xarifa was auctioned off to the highest bidder. It was made clear that, "Her purchaser treated her with respectful gentleness, and sought to win her favor, by flattery and presents; but she dreaded every moment, lest the scene should change, and trembled at the sound of every footfall." Xarifa planned an escape but was betrayed by another slave, leading to the death of George. As Xarifa mourned the death of her parents and the murder of her lover George, she was succumbed to being a "raving lunatic." The story ends with Xarifa dead, though it is left for the reader to decide whether it is due to murder or heart break.

Themes

Love

The detailed description of the landscape in "The Quadroons" is a vital metaphor for Rosalie and Edward's loving relationship.[14] The passion flower, which is described as being exotic, represents Rosalie's mixed-race, and the magnolia represents Edward as being a southern man.[14] Excerpts from the texts references the love between them; "She had early attracted the attention of a handsome and wealthy young Georgian; and as their acquaintance increased, the purity and bright intelligence of her mind, inspired him with a far deeper sentiment than belongs merely to excited passion."[8] It was in fact love in its best sense. "The couple have a genuine love for one another, and because of this love, Rosalie wants to sanctify their marriage to the heavens, even if it cannot be sanctified under law."[3] Child shows the love Rosalie has for Edward when Rosalie tells Edward that if he ever leaves her for another woman, she will not stop him. Although Rosalie and Edward have a genuine love for another, he leaves Rosalie because he wants a reputable white wife instead of a mulatto.[3]

Death

Rosalie

Rosalie soon dies after she sees Edward and his new wife, Charlotte, a year after their marriage.[3] A year prior to this, Rosalie, adamantly refuses to be Edward’s mistress which almost drove her to commit suicide. Eventually, the despair and reject caught up with Rosalie and she died in her bed, presumably from a broken heart.[3] Child makes it clear to point out that Rosalie felt inadequate with herself, referring to her blackness or her otherness, that was seen as weak and submissive. This is the reason she ultimately succumbed to her death.[3] In the story, Child is portraying within this era that Rosalie’s only alternative is death. Rosalie is a kind and nice woman, but the system that she had to lived in as an overtly oppressed mixed-race women later failed her.

Edward and Xarifa

Edward, who seems to really love Rosalie throughout the story, took her death very hard.[3] He became an alcoholic from the guilt that he felt from tearing apart his family, as he blamed Rosalie's death on himself. Their daughter Xarifa also succumbs to her death in the story. After Edward’s death, Xarifa is sold to a white slave owner. Her music teacher tries to save her, but he is murdered. In the text, it is stated that after George Elliot, her music teacher dies, she becomes a raving lunatic. She was a sweet and innocent child before being sold into slavery, and someone who had no idea how the world really was.[3] When she does die, no one was there to cherish or comfort her. Child makes sure that readers know how slavery and this society has ruined this family all because they were not the typical white family. Child's trope indicates that death is inevitable for black and mixed-raced people who've struggled to fit into white society.[3]

Mixed-Race

The theme of mixed-race is prominent throughout "The Quadroons." A mulatta woman realizes that even though she longs to be a respected and moral woman, her status as a slave or even as a free black still prevents her from becoming a prominent member in white society.[3] Many times the white man who is in love with a "mulatta" ends up abandoning her for a white woman, although the "mulatta" woman oftentimes looks white.[3] This is the case with Rosalie, even though she was beautiful and passed as white, Edward still could not live the rest of his life with Rosalie because she was of mixed-race.

Adaptations

A loose adaptation of "The Quadroons" is William Wells Brown's Clotel. Passages and elements within Brown's work strongly references some of his influence from "The Quadroons".

Common Phrasing

Throughout Brown’s Clotel, various lines and phrases have been recycled from “The Quadroons” and reproduced within his work to further emphasize and detail an authentic reality for Black and mixed-race people during this era.

The chart below shows a group of similar phrases found in Brown's work in comparison to Child's.

"The Quadroons" Clotel
 "The tenderness of Rosalie's conscience required an outward form of marriage; though she well knew that a union with her proscribed race was unrecognized by law, and therefore the ceremony gave her no legal hold of Edward's constancy.." [13] “The tenderness of Clotel's conscience, together with the care her mother had with her and the high value she placed upon virtue, required an outward marriage; though she well knew that a union with her prescribed race was unrecognized by law, and therefore the ceremony would give her no legal hold on Horatio's constancy...”[15]
"The iris of her large, dark eye had the melting, mezzotinto outline, which remains the last vestige of African ancestry, and gives that plaintive expression, so often observed, and so appropriate to that docile and injured race." "The iris of her large dark eye had the melting mezzotinto, which remains the last vestige of African ancestry, and gives that plaintive expression, so often observed, and so appropriate to that docile and injured race."
"She [Rosalie] had never complained of his decreasing tenderness, or of her own lonely hours, but he felt that the mute appeal of her heart-broken looks was more terrible than words. He kissed the hand she offered, and with a countenance almost as sad as her own, led her to a window in the recess shadowed by a luxuriant Passion Flower." "She [Clotel] had never complained of his decreasing tenderness, or of her own lonely hours; but he felt that the mute appeal of her heart–broken looks was more terrible than words. He kissed the hand she offered, and with a countenance almost as sad as her own, led her to a window in the recess shadowed by a luxuriant passion flower."
"At last his patience was exhausted. He grew weary of her [Xarifa] obstinacy, as he was pleased to term it; and threats took the place of persuasion." "After several days of what her master termed "obstinacy" on her [Jane] part, the young girl was placed in an upper chamber, and told that that would be her home, until she should yield to her master's wishes."
“Wild were the thoughts that pressed around her aching heart, and almost maddened her poor brain; thoughts which had almost driven her to suicide the night of that last farewell. For her child's sake she conquered the fierce temptation then; and for her sake, she struggled with it now. But the gloomy atmosphere of their once happy home overclouded the morning of Xarifa's life.” “Wild were the thoughts that passed round her aching heart, and almost maddened her poor brain; thoughts which had almost driven her to suicide the night of that last farewell. For her child's sake she had conquered the fierce temptation then; and for her sake, she struggled with it now. But the gloomy atmosphere of their once happy home overclouded the morning of Mary's life. Clotel perceived this, and it gave her unutterable pain.”

Publication History

The first publication was found in the Liberty Bell in the year 1842.[3] The Liberty Bell published works that were used at the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Fair where Child's first revealed "The Quadroons."[16] The work was then republished in a collection in 1846, titled Fact and Fiction: A Collection of Stories.[3] The most recent publication of this work was a digital distribution by Pious Pagan Publishing in January 2001 that was later adapted for the Amazon Kindle in October 2015.[17]

Reception

"The Quadroons" is a work that is seldom discussed without being pulled into Child's other short works at the time. Most critics at the time of its publishing did not receive her works very well; many would say that Child would add details to her stories to exaggerate issues.[18] In a letter sent to Maria Weston Chapman, Lydia Maria Child said she wanted to get the attention of those that are younger and interested in romantic stories rather than those critiquing her work.[19] This has led to people arguing if "The Quadroons" would be considered a success or failure? She could continue to influence other writers with her perspective on slavery, feminism, and even transcendentalism.[18]

See also

Narratives that include the literary trope ‘tragic mulatto’

References
  1. Foundation, Poetry (2019-10-05). "Lydia Maria Child". Poetry Foundation. Retrieved 2019-10-05.
  2. Manganelli, Kimberly Snyder (1 September 2009). "The Tragic Mulatta Plays the Tragic Muse". Victorian Literature and Culture. 37 (2): 501–522. doi:10.1017/s1060150309090317.
  3. Hanrahan, Heidi M. (2005). "Harriet Jacobs's "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl: A Retelling of Lydia Maria Child's 'The Quadroons'". The New England Quarterly. 78 (4): 599–616. JSTOR 30045582.
  4. Robert Fanuzzi (2010). "How Mixed-Race Politics Entered the United States: Lydia Maria Child's Appeal". ESQ: A Journal of the American Renaissance. 56 (1): 71–104. doi:10.1353/esq.0.0043.
  5. “Preface and Acknowledgements.” The First Woman in the Republic A Cultural Biography of Lydia Maria Child, by Carolyn L. Karcher and Donald E. Pease, Duke University Press, 2012, pp. 11–19.
  6. "Xarifa Meaning, Pronunciation, Origin and Numerology - NamesLook #MeaningOfMyName". NamesLook. Retrieved 2019-10-24.
  7. "Name Xarifa Meaning? What does Xarifa Mean". www.namekun.com. Retrieved 2019-10-24.
  8. "Child's Quadroons". utc.iath.virginia.edu. Retrieved 2019-10-22.
  9. Campbell, Mike. "Meaning, origin and history of the name George". Behind the Name. Retrieved 2019-10-24.
  10. "Edward Name Meaning & Origin". Baby Name Wizard. Retrieved 2019-10-24.
  11. "Rosalie: Name Meaning, Popularity, and Similar Names". nameberry.com. Retrieved 2019-10-24.
  12. link, Get; Facebook; Twitter; Pinterest; Email; Apps, Other. "Short Story #109: The Quadroons by Lydia Maria Child". Retrieved 2019-10-05.
  13. Child, Lydia Maria. Liberty Bell. Anti-Slavery Fair, 1842.
  14. Schell, Jennifer (1 April 2008). "'This Life Is a Stage': Performing the South in William Wells Brown's Clotel or, the President's Daughter". Southern Quarterly. 45 (3): 48–69.
  15. Brown, William Wells. "The Negro Sale". Clotel, or the President's Daughter. doi:10.4324/9781315285139-9 (inactive 2020-01-25). ISBN 978-1-315-28513-9.
  16. Walsh-Russo, Cecelia (21 July 2017). "Mutual brokerage and women's participation in nineteenth-century Anglo-American abolitionist movements". Social Movement Studies. 16 (6): 633–646. doi:10.1080/14742837.2017.1344543.
  17. Child, Lydia Maria (2015). The Quadroons. Kindle file: Pious Pagan Publishing.
  18. Duran (2015). "Lydia Maria Child: Abolitionism and the New England Spirit". The Pluralist. 10 (3): 261. doi:10.5406/pluralist.10.3.0261.
  19. McWilliam, Fiona (1 March 2016). "'The Young and Romantic Will Like It': The Abolitionist Short Stories of Lydia Maria Child". Journal of the Short Story in English. Les Cahiers de la nouvelle (66): 85–102.
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