Erasure of Identity and the Quest for Self Articulation in Black Slave Narrative

Abstract

The present paper intends to study a slave narrative memoir Twelve Years a Slave (1853) by Solomon Northup, a born free African-American man from New York State who is kidnapped and sold into slavery. The book was adapted into 12 Years a Slave (2013), a colossal Hollywood success, instrumental in 2014 being hailed as the year in which Black Cinema has bounced back to tell some complex, honest and unflinching stories about life in America. The protagonist, Northup, had to work in cotton plantations for 12 years in the state of Louisiana before he could be rescued and released. The paper will highlight Solomon Northup’s epic struggle against the violence perpetrated by the malevolent owner of the plantation as Northup strives to hold onto his identity which is being erased in front of his eyes. The paper will analyse how the book grapples with issues of racial identity, exploring a young man’s suffering and frustration for no fault of his.

Keywords

• Black memoir
• slave narrative
• identity
• violence
• memory