Zhiying zhao
Prof. Holveck
Eng101
May 3, 2010(Rewrite)
Slavery experiences in Currer’s two daughter
The novel Clotel or The President’s Daughter by William Well Brown, describes the
randomness of slaves’ injustices in America in the nineteenth century. Currer, a mulatto and
her master, President Thomas Jefferson, together have two daughters, Althesa and Clotel.
Currer and her daughters live a comfortable life, but this changes when her master passes
away. At the end, Currer and her two daughters are sold to different slave-traders. They
begin their separate lives and begin different experiences of slavery. In accordance with the
novel and that society, Clotel’s slavery experience is close to the real society. Althesa’s
slavery experience is close to Brown’s idealized society.The purpose of this essay is to
compare and contrast the differences and similarities between Currer’s daughters, Clotel and
Althesa. To some extent, Clotel and Althesa have different slavery experiences after being
sold because they meet different individuals in that society.
At the beginning, they live together with same individuals, such as Jefferson and
Currer, so that there are some similarities in their slavery experiences. First, Clotel and
Althesa are both Currer and Thomas Jefferson’s daughters. They live together with their
mother, Currer, in a comfortable life for years. Second, Clotel and Althesa both know how
to read and write. When Brown writes “it was against the laws of Virginia, for a slave to be
taught to read, Currer had employed an old free negro, who lived near her, to teach her two
daughters to read and write”(121), seems to mean that they will have different lives than
other slaves. Like Kofi Annan once states, “Knowledge is power. Information is liberating.
Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family." In the Narrative of
1
the Life of Frederick Douglass, Douglass’s first step towards freedom is learning how to
read and write. Third, Clotel and Althesa are both the most beautiful and attractive girls in
the city because Brown writes “Amongst the above slaves to be sold were Currer and her
two daughters, Clotel and Althesa; the latter were the girls spoken of in the advertisement as
‘very superior’ ”(85). When they are in the auction, they are both bought at a high price.
However, after being sold, they begin their different slavery experiences.
After being sold, they meet the first of important individuals, their buyers in their lives.
Horatio Green, who has his political dream, bought Clotel. As indicated by Brown, “ambition to
become a statesman was slowly gaining the ascendancy over him” (Brown 101); this quote
implies that Horatio has his political dream. In the nineteenth century, it was a common
phenomenon to have slaves in the American South. Horatio bought and married Clotel.
However, when Brown writes that, “It was indeed a marriage sanctioned by heaven, although
unrecognized on earth”(100), seems to point out this marriage between them is non legal. In
addition, Horatio is just beginning his political career at that moment, this non legal marriage
will be an obstacle to his political career. If one wants to be engaged in political affairs, a
political wife will be a good choice. However, Clotel, as a slave will not be a political wife for
Horatio, and then according to the novel “the young lady was pleasing, he fancied he discovered
in her a sort of timid preference for himself. This excited his vanity…reminiscences of his first
love kept these vague ideas in check for several months…the change wrought upon him was
soon noticed by Clotel ” (Brown 102), this shows that Horatio starts to think about how
advantageous it would be to marry the daughter of a man on whom his political success depends.
I think if Horatio has an opportunity to have a political wife, he will hold the opportunity. It
indirectly shows that this marriage will not have a good ending and Clotel’s slave experiences
will be horrible.
2
Also, the purpose for Clotel’s purchased is that Haratio is attracted by Clotel’s beauty
and promises to make her his wife. When Brown writes “Clotel was sixteen and was admitted by
all to be the most beautiful girl, colored or white, in the city…young Green became the favorite
visitor at Currer’s house. He soon promised to purchase Clotel” (86), seems to show that Horatio
bought Clotel because of Clotel’s attractive appearance. However one’s beauty couldn’t keep a
long time, when Clotel loses her beauty or Horatio finds something more interesting and
important, such as political ambitions, than Clotel’s beauty, Horatio will discard Clotel.
On the other hand, James Crawford, who against holding slaves, bought Althesa. As
stated by author, “from Green mountains of Vermont, and his feeling were opposed to the
holding of slaves”(Brown 124), this implies that Crawford has a clear opinion about arguing
against holding of slaves. Although he bought Althesa, he would not treat Althesa as a slave
because the purpose for Althesa’s purchased is “his young wife persuaded him into the idea that
it was no worse to own a slave than to hire one and pay the money to another. Hence it was that
he had been induced to purchase Althesa” (Brown 124); this quote shows that Mrs. Crawford’s
indirect suggestion is the purpose for Althesa’s purchase. Mr. and Mrs. Crawford want to buy a
slave to do housework. They think that holding a slave is more economic than hiring a slave.
Althesa’s slave experiences will be different from Clotel’s.
Yet their husbands also are different individuals who effect their slavery experiences.
Clotel’s husband, Horatio, has his political dream but doesn’t have enough power and
money. When Brown writes that, “Clotel now urged Horatio to remove to France or
England, where both her and her child would be free…He still loved Clotel; but he was now
becoming engaged in political and other affaires”(Brown 101), seems to show that Horatio
is more interested in his political dream than Clotel, even though he still loves Clotel. In
3
addition, when Clotel asks Horatio to purchase her mother and sister, Horatio doesn’t try to
purchase them and then just says that he is unable, although he promises to purchase them
when he is able. He gives Clotel too many promises, but he doesn’t keep them. Perhaps it is
a common phenomenon in the political society. For example, in the Declaration of
Independence, Jefferson says that “we hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are
created equal”(Brown 239). However, Jefferson owned many slaves over his lifetime and
didn’t keep his promise that all men should be equal. At the end, when Horatio’s political
wife finds out about Clotel and Mary’s existence and insists that Clotel should be sold,
Horatio immediately sells Clotel to a slave-trader. He doesn’t do anything to protect Clotel
and Mary. His political wife is a tool for him to get his political dream. In order to get his
political dream, Horatio can’t oppose his political wife.
However, a kind and enlightened young doctor named Henry Morton takes pity on
Althesa, falls in love with her, and then married her. Althesa feels that Henry is a good
husband and Henry also against holding slaves. When Brown writes that, “Althesa found in
Henry Morton a kind and affectionate husband; and his efforts to purchase her
mother …having from the commencement resolved not to hold slaves…they were
compelled to hire servants for their own use” (146), seem to imply that Henry loves Althesa
and tries his best to purchase Althesa’s mother, but her mother’s owner refuses to sell. At
the same time, Henry frequently makes passionate antislavery arguments; Henry and
Althesa do their best to help slaves, for example, they help a white German woman who has
been enslaved to regain her freedom.
In short, Clotel and Althesa have different slavery experiences after being sold
because they meet different individual in that society. For example, their buyers’ different
attitudes about holding slaves will decide their different slave experiences. Via the buyers’
4
different attitudes, it expresses that in that society, some of people began to oppose the
holding of slaves. In accordance with American history, in 1850, some states were brewing
over slavery. However, no matter for which reasons Currer’s daughters’ purchased, holding
a slave was still a common situation in that society. It still takes a long time for slaves to be
totally freed and even longer to be equal as whites. Combining the novel with American
history, Brown exposes social context at that time. In order to focus on that society and
people Clotel and Althesa meet have changed their experiences of slavery, the novel
describes Currer’s two daughters’ slavery experiences. In addition, based on the similar
slavery experiences at the beginning, it’s easy for readers to find out and understand their
different slavery experiences after being sold.
When Brown writes that, “I have personally participated in many of those
scenes…many from the lips of those who, like myself, have run away from the land of
bondage” (226), seems to point out those parts of this novel are from his own experience.
According to the author’s own experience, the novel describes the similarities and
differences of Currer’s daughters, Clotel and Althesa to expose the unfair treatment of
blacks by whites and the randomness of slaves’ injustices.
5