The account of the first time Mary Prince is sold with her sisters at a slave auctions is one of the most disturbing narratives in The History of Mary Prince. The very first stage of selling Mary involves the removing of her clothes and replacing them with a "osnaburg" (589). Both of her sisters are given the same coarse linen to wear. The sisters are given these osnaburgs to remove any evidence of their humanity to bidders at the auction. Mrs. Williams, Miss Betsey, and Mrs. Pruden most likely would have allowed Mary to wear articles of clothing that were especially hers. The removing of these items represents the removing of Mary's humanity to erase any guilt white bidders might have during the auction. Dressing Mary in the same clothes as all the other slaves at auction destroys her individuality. It makes the slaves seem more livestock like to the white bidders. However Mary's mother's presence at the auction demands that white bidders see them as human.
It is incredibly disturbing that Mary's mother is the one who walks them to the auction and even places them "in a row against a large house, with [their] backs to the wall" (590). This situation is so disturbing to read about because it is such a human moment. The girls have been set up as nothing more than livestock, but their mother is present because it is her duty as a mother to watch over them until she no longer can. This account is parallel to a dying person surrounding their death bed with loved ones. Humans want to be surrounded by those they love in horrible times and the presence of Mary's mother at the auction proves both their humanity and similarity to people of all races. Mary's mother standing next to her daughters at the auction forces the bidders to see them as people. Perhaps this is another reason Mary's mother wants to be present at the auction. She is trying to create sympathy for her daughters to be sold into kind homes. However this attempt fails and exhibits how immune to attempts of humanization the white bidders are.
I also found that scene very disturbing. As Mary is watching the white people walk by without giving any notice to their plights and as she is felt by "strange men, who examined [her] in the same manner that a butcher would..." Mary exemplifies her role as a slave akin to cattle, to be used, consumed, and discarded without remorse (592).
ReplyDeleteShe shares the same sentiment- that ""slavery hardens white people's hearts towards the black" (592)- that William Cowper puts forth in his poem when he likens the slave trader's heart to that of leather (616).
Mary uses the comparison of livestock multiple times throughout the narrative but I think this particular scene illustrates that point best. The fact that it was her mother that took them to the auction is particularly disturbing to me. I don't know if maybe it did bring comfort to be with her mother before she was sold. The whole situation is cruel but forcing the mother to carry out the action seems to make it worse. I don't agree that the mother's presence forces the bidders to view them as human because like you said at the end of your post, the white bidders are immune to attempts to humanize the slaves.
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