Brutal Civility?

Just what does that mean anyways?

"Brutal", according to Google, means "savagely violent". "Civility" means "formal politeness and courtesy in behavior or speech." or "polite remarks used in formal conversation."

These are the two terms that came into my mind when reading the end of Oroonoko. On both sides of the story, there were perfect examples of those being "brutish" or "barbaric" and of those being "civil". However, even though there were plenty of disturbing images throughout, it was the end that sent chills down my spine.

I'm sure you all know how this went by now. Oroonoko is lied to about being returned to Africa with his family. He is brutally whipped and had pepper poured into the open wounds by Byam. After the beating, Oroonoko realizes he will never be free and his unborn child will never be free as well. He decides to kill his pregnant wife and then himself and...well...the rest is fictional history.

But here is what disturbed me:

Just imagining someone being whipped like how Oroonoko was whipped sends goosebumps up my arm. Tack on the fact that pepper is poured into the open wounds and I am visibly cringing. In my head, I'm imagining something along the lines of The Passion of the Christ with an extra guy in the mix just adding some spices to the newly tenderized meat that was a human being.

And all of this came from someone who was a member of those who are considered "civil". This brutal and apparently unwarranted (at least in my personal opinion) punishment is terrible enough, but to have been doled out by someone of such a prim and proper class is just downright scary.

I have no idea who this gentleman is, but I do know he is dressed appropriately for the time that Oroonoko was set. This guy is in military gear fitting of the time and, even though he is obviously a military guy, this guy doesn't look to be the kind of guy who can whip a man as brutally as Oroonoko was whipped and then proceed to pour pepper into the broken skin. Imagining this man doing what he did and then probably going off to enjoy his afternoon tea with blood still on his face, gloves, and fancy clothes just sends chills up my spine.

 

Yet, he is a member of "civilized" society.

 

Oroonoko, on the other hand, is "brutal". Somehow, this former African prince turned slave turned whipping post is the one who is the brute. Even when he informs his pregnant wife that he is going to slit her throat and then kill himself, he is the one who is still in chains like some kind of animal.

 

Also, it is even creepier that his wife basically replies with "Do what you must and thank you for letting me die with some dignity." He then slits her throat and CUTS OFF HER FACE?! I'm surprised we didn't open that can of worms in class. Or maybe we did...it's been a while since we all discussed this as a class.

 

However, he doesn't go into a brutal rampage against Byam. He does not engage in any further violence at all. Instead, he stays by his wife's side until her decomposing corpse alerts Byam's men of their location.

 

From there, Oroonoko is basically cut apart like some two year old's Ken doll. Yet, he still does not react violently. He just stands there, smoking his pipe while his nose, ears, and one leg are chopped off. This is a man who, unlike Byam, has every reason and right to unleash unholy Hell upon them. He lost everything, but remains calm and, dare I say it, civil?

 

However, he may have been calm and "formal", but slitting his pregnant wife's throat and then cutting off her face hardly seems like "civil" behavior (that's the key word).

 

 

I think that through these two characters, Aphra Behn made a very poignant declaration about humanity as a whole: "we are all brutally civil". Yes, of course, not all of us would turn to violent words, actions, or thoughts as a way to attain some kind of personal gratification, but it is the ones who do that make society this way. And through the actions of both the white and the black characters of this play, Behn shows that this "brutally civil" society is no just limited to one race or another. Every human being is victim to it.

 

To me, this is a very stunning revelation, especially during a time where the white man was considered to be the epitome of all that is good, right, and proper in the world. And to be made by a white woman?! Now, you're just talking crazy.