A Book report on Celia, A Slave

In the book Celia, A Slave by Melton A. McLaurin, the accounts of one woman’s life are bound together in a vivid way to relay the circumstances surrounding a female slave’s cruel life. The life of this woman named Celia was filled with acts of molestation, rape, murder, and eventual execution. Through the use of court records, correspondences, and newspaper accounts, the author delineated in chronological order the life of Celia: from her purchase by Robert Newsom to her execution on December 21, 1855.

When Robert Newsom bought Celia from an unnamed person, the first night that he spent with her he raped Celia. This act was repeated numerously throughout the next five years. It is told to the reader that Celia almost certainly was purchased to replace Newsom’s wife who had died months earlier. After years of sexual torment and abuse, Celia killed her master and burned his body to avoid being caught. However, she was caught, tried, and executed for her crime. This of course was not the whole story. Many fact

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Through his own personal dilemma, George faces his own hurt masculinity and feels like less of a man because he is “sharing his woman” with another man. The men who sat on the jury of Celia’s trial faced their own personal dilemma. To say anything to their father would be challenging the institution of slavery, which happened to be one of the most heated debates in the country at this time. For a master’s slave was thought to be his/her property, which he/she could do with it what he/she pleased. As readers in another time period, we as an audience know better. To speak against their father could mean the loss of their financial security, stance in the public eye, and the family unity as a whole. All of these factors have the same thing in common: they each present a person or persons dealing with their own personal dilemmas. Eventually, Celia chose to stand up for herself. It can also be thought that if one of the members of the Newsom family that knew about the rapes had stepped in, the murder could have been avoided. It was a choice for her to either remain with her children and live in fear of the constant abuse, or to stand up to Newsom and face the worst. It can be said that she was aided in her decision by George, who was her somewhat-boyfriend. Also, many people had the opportunity to stand up for Celia and stop the abuse, but for personal reasons, those who knew of the crimes chose to remain quiet. Through his dilemma George chooses to incriminate Celia, and therefore reinstitutes the institution of slavery. To condemn the acts of Robert Newsom would be to condemn the institution of slavery.

Common topics in this essay:
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Approximate Word count = 714
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

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