Racism and Social Class Structure in The Woman of Colour
- Racism also acts as a hindrance throughout the text by using it as a justification of different social classes. Because of Olivia being a woman of color she is very set in her social class, that is why it was impertinent that she get married to Augustus so she can secure her future. "Almost all colonial schemes begin with an assumption of native backwardness and general inadequacy to be independent, “equal”, and fit” (Said 80). This part of the essay is significant because it addresses the relationship between the English and the natives that lived on the land they colonized. The Woman of Colour takes place in a world that is in the middle of colonization and its reliance on slave labor. This was justified because many colored people were seen as lesser than whites, and not being seen as equal they were put into a lower class. Olivia is part of both classes because of her white father and Black mother and that makes her odd, almost in a class of her own.
- The English empire relied on the exploitation of many people of color, and those who weren't living in the colonies lived on the presumption that they were better than those who lived in the colonies, and other people of color. “A novel based in an England relying on the maintenance of its style on a Carribean island...a lesser work holds its historical affiliation more plainly” (Said 96). The author seems to argue that we must look at the biases of the author of the text to determine why it was written in the way it is. The Woman of Colour is unique because it focuses on Olivia’s experience and how she reacts to racism and the class system that England thrives on. She is upper class in the fact that she will acquire wealth,but her color is what makes her seen as the lower class. 19th Century Social Class
- Oivia discusses her thoughts on class structure, "I trust, to pray for the extermination of this disgraceful practice...likewise impel me to be anxious for the emancipation of my more immediate brethren" (81). There is an emphasis on my because Olivia has closer bood relation to slaves than the Merton's but yet she is still in a class above them. She acknowledges the difference in their status but because of her privilege (which comes from her class) she is able to advocate effectively. The only way to ensure that the colonies and plantations ran smoothly was to instill these classes. And of course to profit off the labor, racism was used to keep the people of color in the lower class.