Damballah

John Wideman’s “Damballah” takes place back in a time where men used to buy the lives and souls of other men with just money out of their pockets. Culture, religion, and the families of these slaves meant nothing to their captures. As long as these “niggers” got their work done, then the master was happy, since this reassured him that he got his money’s worth. The master of the plantation in “Damballah” gets a lot more than he bargained for with the purchase of a slave named Orion. Orion is much different than any of the other slaves on the plantation. This idea is apparent to the reader right from the beginning. Orion is, as Aunt Lissy describes, “…a crazy nigger. One of them wild African niggers act like he fresh off the boat.” Orion has refused to speak English and he has also refused to accept Christianity. He has done all of this simply because he wants to desperately hold on to his escaping culture. He views his insubordination as the only way to hold on to this culture and history that he can feel slipping away. In the opening paragraph, Orion’s frustration is shown when he feels that he has never learned the “proper” way to fish. He knows that he’s African, and he should fish like his fellow African

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The other slaves, however, view his behavior as both crazy and upsetting. She yells at the boy, “You talk ‘Merican boy!” Aunt Lissy doesn’t really believe this, but she is afraid of what will happen to the boy if he doesn’t. This lays the foundation for the boy’s actions in the ending. In conclusion, unlike any other story about slavery, Wideman’s “Damballah” tackles other issues; issues often overlooked in this type of story. This is just another example of Orion losing his identity. The other slaves even call Orion by his “white” name, Ryan. One day, while watching Orion, the boy witnesses him praying.

This boy has been warned to stay away from Orion, however, just like any boy, all this instruction not to do something has just given him more interest. These slaves are more racist than their master since they have dislike for white men and they also have dislike for people like Orion. This perhaps was a coping device for slaves at this time. It strikes the reader as being unusual that not only are the masters not perfect, but also that racism exists amongst the slaves. Instead of being very cut and dry, this story has so much information that needs to be pieced together. Perhaps they are upset with themselves for not taking a stand as Orion has. The master and his wife are supposed to be perfect, which makes them garner respect from their slaves.

Approximate Word count = 1300
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

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