“Stolen bodies working stolen land. The engine was never stopped and the boiler’s hunger was fed with human blood. Colson Whelhead, in his novel The Underground Railroad, describes the racial violence that was perpetrated on cotton plantations throughout the South, as well as in other areas of America. The systematic exploitation of African Americans forced them into a position of inferiority to white slave-owners. Whitehead depicts America’s antebellum history through Cora – a young slave girl who travels to the North from the South. As a reader, you will witness the brutality and abuse that black people suffered. I will describe the physical, linguistic and emotional violence that these black people faced during this time.
Whitehead’s story is filled with violence. It includes both physical and sexual violence. One might think that the violence in this novel is only committed by white slaveowners. However, after reading the book, it becomes clear that even black people are violent towards each other. Cora is actually raped as soon Cora turns 18 by four males slaves on the Randal farm. Blake is encouraged to take control of Cora’s only possession, a small garden she inherited from both her grandmother and mother. This small space, although it may seem unimportant, represents hope and a connection to Cora’s ancestors. It also gives her the opportunity to pursue a life free of slavery. When she refuses to let Blake take her garden away, she is raped.
Whitehead says that she is not helped by anyone during the violation. “The black slave owners are more violent than black people who abuse each other. Big Anthony’s punishment, as an example, is among the most tragic events in this novel. The punishment is three days of flogging, in full view of all other slaves at the plantation. Some white guests also came to see this cruel event. This shows that torture was not only a means to maintain white dominance, but also a source for pleasure.
This punishment of Big Anthony was also a demonstration for why so many people who were enslaved did not even consider escaping. The fact that they were all able to witness his burning alive was enough for them to lose their freedom. Martin, a station agent, reveals to Cora that the “Freedom Trail”, a road named after the corpses, is located in North Caroline. “The goal is to warn those who dream of escaping to freedom. Along with losing their freedom, black people also lose their dignity because they think they don’t deserve to be human. Although it is not as clearly depicted as physical violence, linguistic violence was also experienced by black people. This violence was first seen at the moment Cora’s Ajarry grandmother was bought in Oudiah. Who could have predicted the mutiny that his captives would instigate if they spoke a similar language?
It is a deliberate attempt to silence the slaves by purchasing slaves from various parts of Africa. This is done in order for them to forget their own history, culture, and language. Also, they wanted to divide the Africans in order to reduce their resistance. Whitehead brings back the trauma that comes with linguistic loss by telling the story of Cora’s life in South Carolina, where she is freed from slavery. She’s trying to understand the African language of a slave and remembers her mother telling her that African languages must be preserved. The words were all there except for those that had been locked away by the people who remembered their past. Mabel said: “They hide them like precious metal”. Mabel tried teaching Cora how important it was to preserve their language from the past. But Cora ignored her mother and said: “These are not the times of her mother and grandmother.” We can conclude that white people’s linguistic violence causes the loss of identity of those who don’t know their mother tongue. Linguistic aggression is also used to integrate former slaves into the society where they now live. The Northern society’s ability to integrate Africans becomes crucial, and violence plays a role in this. Cora corrects Miss Lucy’s speech when she is still in the dorm, which Cora has disguised herself as Bessie. Cora believes that Miss Lucy is doing the right thing by correcting her speech: “Dormitary, Bessie”.
The novel shows that whites are desperate to make blacks a source for income. They will use any means necessary to achieve this goal, including the highest levels of violence. Their goal is to take away the freedom of black people by continually humiliating, torturing, and enslaving them. They are made to forget their identities by the linguistic violence.
