Clotel · Chapter
XVIII: The Liberator explained
Following the death of Mr.
What happens
Following the death of Mr. Peck, his daughter Georgiana inherits the estate and, despite legal and social pressures, marries Carlton, a kindred spirit who shares her desire to improve the condition of the slaves. Together they implement new rules and a system of gradual emancipation, challenging the overseer and the Dutch preacher. The chapter includes a debate about sending freed slaves to Liberia versus recognizing their native claim to America, and highlights the slaves' industriousness under the promise of freedom. The death of Currer from yellow fever deeply affects Mrs. Carlton, who had grown attached to her and learned of her tragic story.
Themes in this chapter
Hypocrisy of American Democracy
The chapter opens with the Declaration of Independence and contrasts its ideals with the reality of slavery, highlighting the nation's failure to live up to its founding principles.
Heroism and Resistance
Georgiana and Carlton resist social and legal norms by advocating for emancipation and better treatment of slaves, while the slaves themselves work diligently in hope of freedom.
Corruption of Christianity
The Carltons reject Snyder's sermons as tools to keep slaves docile, instead teaching the gospel in its pure form, which the slaves appreciate.
Characters to notice
- Georgiana Carlton
Now sole heir to her father's estate, she marries Carlton and works with him to implement gradual emancipation and better treatment of the slaves.
- Mr. Carlton
Marries Georgiana and becomes her partner in reforming the plantation, advocating for the slaves' rights and debating the merits of sending them to Liberia.
- Sam
A slave who expresses hope that Carlton and Georgiana will marry, believing it will lead to better times for the slaves.
- Ned Huckelby
The overseer whose reign ends as the Carltons introduce new rules for the treatment of slaves.
- Snyder
The Dutch preacher whose sermons are dispensed with because they are seen as making slaves content with their condition.
- Currer
Dies of yellow fever; her death is a great trial to Mrs. Carlton, who had become attached to her and learned of her wrongs.
- Mr. Peck
Deceased at the start of the chapter; his death marks a new era for his slaves.
Key passages
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created free and equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
The chapter opens with the Declaration of Independence's assertion that all men are born free and equal, with God-given rights to life, liberty, and happiness.
This epigraph sets up the central irony of the chapter: a nation founded on liberty that practices slavery.
“The death of the parson was the commencement of a new era in the history of his slaves.”
Mr. Peck's death marks the beginning of significant change for the enslaved people on his plantation.
This sentence introduces the turning point for the slaves' future under Georgiana's ownership.
“Love and duty triumphed over the woman’s timid nature, and that day Georgiana informed Carlton that she was ready to become his wife.”
Overcoming her shyness, Georgiana proposes to Carlton, driven by love and a sense of duty.
This moment shows Georgiana's agency and her determination to pursue a partnership that will benefit the slaves.
“If the slaves were liberated, they must be sent out of the state. This, of course, would incur additional expense; and if they left the state, where had they better go?”
The Carltons debate the practical challenges of emancipation, including the legal requirement to remove freed slaves from the state and the cost involved.
This highlights the legal and economic obstacles to emancipation in the slaveholding South.
“Is not this their native land? What right have we, more than the negro, to the soil here, or to style ourselves native Americans?”
Georgiana argues that African Americans have as much claim to America as whites, having built the nation with their labor and blood.
This challenges the colonization movement and asserts the rightful place of black people in America.
“If niggers can work so for the promise of freedom, they ought to be made to work without it.”
A neighboring planter, Parker, cynically suggests that if slaves work hard for the hope of freedom, they should be forced to work even harder without any reward.
This remark exposes the cruel logic of slaveholders who see any concession as a threat to their control.
