Aphra Behns Oroonoko †Slaughter of the Human Spirit Essay -- Behn Or

Oroonoko Slaughter of the Human Spirit Aphra Behn introduces her characters in Oroonoko as beautiful people who possess a pure, innocent love. Behn does this in an effort to devil her readers smell and question. Her poetic description of their emotions magnify the horror of the final scene. Behns romantic love score is brought to a tragic end through brutality and death. Why did she elect such an ending? Her decision to have Oroonoko take the life of his wife and unborn baby leaves her audience questioning. Was what they had love? If not, what was it? What had killed their innocence? The spirit level of Oroonoko and Imoinda began with him approaching her and finish with the cut of his knife. Oroonoko both began and ended the story that was theirs. Therefore, when analyzing their relationship it is most important to examine Oroonokos behavior. Oroonoko is the one who determined what path their story would take. What drove him to end their story in such a brutal way? What cau sed him to act so uncontrollable? The truth is that his heart couldnt stand to lose her again. He couldnt risk not finding her. He was scared because he realized that he could not protect her. Even the strong, powerful Oroonoko was not able to rescue her and her unborn child from slavery. His hope and innocence were killed by fear. He finally met a force that could beat him. Throughout the story, Oroonoko exhibits his power and control. In order to once again mount his courage, Oroonoko goes hunting to kill a tiger that had been too fierce and powerful for others to conquer. When Oroonoko comes upon the tiger, she is devouring her new kill. Upon Oroonokos approach, the tiger stares at him with a very fierce rag... ...heaven. This is a beautiful image. Does it really matter how they chose to exit this world? The truth is that it does. Aphra Behns tale of Oroonoko is not only a tragic love story. It is also a story about slavery and how it can kill a person. The relationship betwe en Oroonoko and Imoinda is described as pure and innocent. Their story compliments the point that Behn was trying to make about slavery. Slavery can kill hope, purity, and innocence. Slavery does not only kill the human spirit. It slaughters it. The student may wish to begin the paper with the interest quote And these two People represented to me an absolute Idea of the first State of Innocence, before Man knew how to sin. (pg.10)Works CitedBehn, Aphra. Oroonoko. The Norton Anthology of English Literature.Ed. AH Abrams. New York. WW Norton and Company, Inc 2000.