To Cuba and Back · Chapter
XXII explained
The narrator describes a morning routine including a sea bath, then accompanies Mr.
What happens
The narrator describes a morning routine including a sea bath, then accompanies Mr. ⸻ to a slave sale in Regla, where he observes the selection process and Mr. ⸻'s principle of purchasing by race, preferring the Lucumí tribe. He visits sugar storehouses, buys preserves and linen, and breakfasts with a wealthy planter who discusses Cuba's population statistics and the inaccuracy of the slave census. The chapter also covers the lottery system's impact on slaves, a cockfight, and the lasting impression of the Lopez expedition in Cuba.
Themes in this chapter
Slavery and Racial Hierarchy
The slave sale scene reveals racial classification (e.g., Lucumí tribe) and the dehumanizing process of selection, though Mr. ⸻ avoids separating families.
Economic Exploitation and Sugar Monoculture
The visit to the Almacen de azúcar highlights the scale of sugar storage, and the breakfast discussion covers slave counts and tax evasion by planters.
Colonial Oppression and Despotism
The lottery system exploits slaves' hopes for freedom, and the government's military response to the Lopez expedition demonstrates colonial control.
Characters to notice
- Unknown Narrator
Describes his morning bath, observations at the slave sale, and purchases in Havana.
- Mr. ⸻
Punctual at seven, selects slaves based on race, ensures no family separations, and speaks kindly to the slaves.
- Coolies
Observed working in a nail factory in Regla.
- Cubans
Described as infatuated with the lottery and participating in cockfights.
- The Master
The wealthy planter host at breakfast, provides views on Cuba's population and economy.
- Le Grand
Mentioned as the establishment where the narrator stays and where gentlemen discuss cockfights.
Key passages
“I am surprised to find what an impression the Lopez expedition made in Cuba—a far greater impression than is commonly supposed in the United States.”
The narrator is astonished that the Lopez expedition had a much stronger impact in Cuba than most Americans realize.
Highlights the contrast between Cuban and American perceptions of the filibustering attempt.
“On the principle of race, said he. He told me that these Negroes were probably natives of Africa, bozales, except the youngest, and that the signs of the races were known to all planters.”
Mr. ⸻ explained that he selected slaves based on their African ethnic origin, a practice common among planters.
Illustrates the racial hierarchy and pseudoscientific classification used in the slave trade.
“The Cubans are infatuated with this lottery. All classes seem to embark in it. Its effect is especially bad on the slaves, who invest in it all they can earn, beg, or steal, allured by the glorious vision of possibly purchasing their freedom.”
Cubans of all social levels are obsessed with the government lottery, which is particularly harmful to slaves who gamble their meager resources hoping to buy freedom.
Critique of the lottery's exploitation of slaves' aspirations.