THE BOOK OF NEGROES BY LAWRENCE HILL, AN ARCHETYPE LITERARY THEORY ANALYSIS BY JOHN VELASCO (2 OF 3)

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In the Book of Negroes, an archetype that has been seen chapter by chapter are the “star-crossed lovers” characters, Chekura and Aminata. Chekura acts as the leading man to his leading girl. The two come from different walks of life in Africa and met each other in captivity with the colonists at the slave ship to America. As they went through their hardships from slavery, the two were separated and were forced to go through different paths. When Aminata is sold by Mr. Appleby to his indigo plantation in St. Helena Island, South Carolina, Chekura tries to find her and manages to do so, then marries her in secret and out came their child, Mamadu. However, the child is sold and is taken away from her. Chekura spent his time of slavery in Lady’s Island, while Aminata is unaware about him and her child’s whereabouts. By faith, they hope to meet again. As Aminata is sold to Solomon Lindo to Charleston, South Carolina, she got to see Chekura again and had their second child. Chekura would serve as a symbol of hope and home to her, since he is the source of his wife’s happiness and joy. An epitome of the archetype of the “star-crossed lovers” are Romeo and Juliet. Even if their story involved conflict within their families that limits how they try to seek one another, Aminata’s and Chekura’s conflict involved colonial resistance and influence within their people and how it affects their relationship together.

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Aminata resembles the character who tries anything to escape something and would make a solution out of something but others would not take her for granted. Her life is quite similar to “The Hero’s Journey” archetype. She was called to go through an adventure starting from her parents, who stand as her mentors, without being aware that they themselves would be a sacrifice to her success in life. They were her training wheels to do what she needed to do in her life, and if it wasn’t for them, all the events that would happen would never happen at all. As they were killed and is sent to slavery, she had to endure with trials and errors. Mr. Appleby, from St. Helena Island resembles the villainous archetype. During Aminata’s experience with him, he has raped her and hurt her once finding out that she is with child with a man she secretly married. He is the character who will tell people to obey them completely without exceptions and no buts. Aminata was forced to be treated as an object, someone who can just dehumanize and objectify their existence and live a life of shame. A connection that I can personally make with Mr. Appleby is the main super-villain of the film Avengers Infinity War, Thanos. I could see their resemblance of destruction and their hunger for dominance against whoever stepped in their way. They both share the unnecessary grudge that they have within them that they cannot let go of.

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Luckily, being sold by Solomon Lindo would change Meena's life. His character resembles the angel and mentor of Aminata. He represents as her savior. Growing up in England as a Jew, he shared his honest opinion with her, that they felt as if they were outsiders is respective ways. Aminata is African, while Mr. Lindo is a Jew. He thinks that people like her shouldn't be treated and called as slaves, but as servants. He treated her as a human being, not an object.  She is able to obtain the opportunity to work as a midwife in Charlestown. With the wealth that he has, he’s helped Aminata aid her with learning skills that will be essential to her experiences going to Manhattan and Canvas Town, New York, where she would eventually be a teacher and mentor to other Negroes like her. She has learned the value of currency with arithmetics, read English books and read news articles. She sort of becomes the “leader of the pack” for her people in Canvas Town when conflict and war between Loyalists and Rebellions were passing by New York. She helps them understand what is going on around them by reading the daily newspaper.

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From ⅔ of the novel, Aminata is revealed to be set free to Nova Scotia, for a new life, after the rebellions got their independence from the British. She was responsible for writing The Book of Negroes, a list of free and loyalist Negroes who were eligible to be sent to Nova Scotia. Looking back at Aminata’s heroic archetype, I predict that she is on her quest to do what she really dreamed of for so long, to go back to Africa.

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