The Passing of Grandison by Charles Waddell Chesnutt
"The Passing of Grandison" by Charles Waddell Chesnutt is a satirical short story set in the pre-Civil War American South during the 1850s, shortly after the Fugitive Slave Law was enacted. The narrative follows Dick Owens, a wealthy plantation heir who is motivated by his desire to impress his sweetheart, Charity Lomax. In an attempt to demonstrate his worthiness, Dick vows to induce one of his father's slaves, Grandison, to escape. However, the story unfolds with a series of ironic twists as Grandison, who appears to be a compliant and loyal slave, ultimately orchestrates a plan to escape with his family.
The tale explores themes of race, power dynamics, and the complexities of slavery, revealing the deep contradictions within the societal norms of the time. While Dick's misguided efforts to promote freedom reveal his superficial understanding of the issues at hand, Grandison's actions ultimately highlight his intelligence and agency. The story culminates in a surprising reversal, as Grandison and his family successfully escape to Canada, countering the prevailing beliefs of Southern slaveholders about the contentment of enslaved individuals. Overall, Chesnutt's work serves as a poignant critique of the romanticized notions of slavery and the misconceptions held by those in power.
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The Passing of Grandison by Charles Waddell Chesnutt
First published: 1899
Type of plot: Satire, regional, realism
Time of work: The 1850's
Locale: A plantation in Kentucky and the North
Principal Characters:
Dick Owens , the indolent heir to a southern plantationCharity Lomax , the young woman he is trying to win as his wifeColonel Owens , his fatherGrandison , an apparently model slave who reverses expectations
The Story
"The Passing of Grandison" is told in the third person and primarily limited to the consciousness of Dick Owens, the cynical and lazy young heir to a large plantation in Kentucky. His desire to win the hand of his sweetheart Charity Lomax leads him on a mission to accomplish something of humanitarian import. Given his character and the contradictions of the South, however, his efforts can have only an ironic result.
Set in the early 1850's just after the passage of the federal Fugitive Slave Law, the story begins with the highly publicized trial and subsequent martyr's death of an abolitionist who tried to help the slave of Tom Briggs, an abusive master and neighbor of the Owens and Lomax families. Charity wishes that her handsome but worthless beau would do something equally worthy. This leads Dick to vow to induce one of his father's slaves to run away.
Dick chooses to accomplish his task by going on a trip to the North accompanied by a personal body servant. At first, he selects a slave who he knows will want to run away at the first opportunity. The plan is complicated by Colonel Owens, who insists that he go with Grandison. The colonel believes that Grandison is loyal and abolitionist-proof, that is, immune from those who would entice him to run away. Indeed, the colonel quizzes Grandison, who assures his master that he accepts his subordination, is contemptuous of free blacks, and fears abolitionists. As an added inducement, Colonel Owens promises Grandison that he can marry his sweetheart on his return.
Although his plans are complicated by the choice of such a seemingly model slave, Dick repeatedly attempts to get Grandison to flee, only to see his plans comically backfire as the slave seems indifferent to freedom. Dick resorts to progressively more outrageous approaches to tempting his slave: giving him extraordinary amounts of free time, sending anonymous letters to abolitionists, taking him to Canada, and finally paying men to kidnap and keep him in Canada. Only the kidnapping works, or seems to work.
After Dick returns home without his slave, Colonel Owens is outraged, not at Grandison but at the abolitionists he is certain lured his slave away. Dick achieves his heart's desire. Charity marries him but not because she thinks his conduct heroic. She actually terms his actions absurd but believes his foolish behavior clearly illustrates that he needs direction from a right-thinking woman.
Four weeks later, Grandison, tattered and worn out, appears back at the plantation, having escaped from freedom and seeking his former slave status. Colonel Owens thinks this is further vindication of the southern way of life and another indication that slaves prefer to remain as dependents of kindly masters.
A few weeks later, Grandison, his mother, father, siblings, and new wife all disappear from the plantation. Their escape to Canada is so smooth that it has obviously been prepared in advance. The colonel pursues them and is last seen shaking his fist at the rapidly receding steamboat taking his slaves to Canada.
Bibliography
Duncan, Charles. The Absent Man: The Narrative Craft of Charles W. Chesnutt. Athens: Ohio University Press, 1998.
Kulii, Elon A. "Poetic License and Chesnutt's Use of Folklore." CLA Journal 38 (December, 1994): 247-253.
Lehman, Cynthia L. "The Social and Political View of Charles Chesnutt: Reflections on His Major Writings." Journal of Black Studies 26 (January, 1996).
McElrath, Joseph R., Jr., ed. Critical Essays on Charles W. Chesnutt. New York: G. K. Hall, 1999.
McFatter, Susan. "From Revenge to Resolution: The (R)evolution of Female Characters in Chesnutt's Fiction." CLA Journal 42 (December, 1998): 194-211.
McWilliams, Dean. Charles W. Chesnutt and the Fictions of Race. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 2002.
Pickens, Ernestine Williams. Charles W. Chesnutt and the Progressive Movement. New York: Pace University Press, 1994.
Render, Sylvia Lyons. Charles W. Chesnutt. Boston: Twayne, 1980.
Wilson, Matthew. Whiteness in the Novels of Charles W. Chesnutt. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2004.
Wonham, Henry B. Charles W. Chesnutt: A Study of the Short Fiction. New York: Twayne, 1998.