28 Treatment of Slavery in Lloyd C Douglas' the Robe
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International Journal of English Research International Journal of English Research ISSN: 2455-2186; Impact Factor: RJIF 5.32 www.englishresearchjournal.com Volume 2; Issue 2; March 2016; Page No. 28-29 Treatment of slavery in Lloyd C Douglas’ the robe 1 Crispine Shiny, 2 Dr. Helen Unius Backiavathy 1 M. Phil., Scholar Department of English Karunya University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India 2 Asst. Professor Department of English Karunya University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India Abstract Lloyd C. Douglas’, The Robe is an American historical novel published in the year 1942. It unfolds the story of a Roman military tribune who commanded the unit that crucified Jesus. The novel is portrayed as an answer in the form of fiction to the question of what had happened to the Roman soldier who won the robe of Jesus through the dice. The novel depicts slave trade that was practiced in the Roman regime. The slaves were treated mercilessly and were regarded as objects. In the novel, Demetrius is the slave of Marcellus and he plays a vital role in helping his master. He is pictured as a faithful servant to his Master who toiled for his master without anticipating any gain for himself. The paper is an attempt to bring to light how the slave in the novel reduces himself to the extent of being called as an ass and camel. He was a lonely slave but he considered himself as fortunate because his companion was the robe which he held very close as if it contained some inexplicable remedy for heartache. Keywords: slave, objects, ill-treated, faithful, remedy 1. Introduction as a faithful servant to his Master who toiled for his master Lloyd Cassel Douglas, the American minister and author was without anticipating any gain for himself. The paper is an born in Columbia and spent part of his boyhood in attempt to bring to light how the slave in the novel reduces Monroenilla, Willmot, and Kentucky. His father Rev. himself to the extent of being called as an ass and camel. He Alexdaner Jackson Douglas and his mother Sarah Jane was a lonely slave but he considered himself as fortunate Douglas were pastoring the Hopeful Lutheran church. He because his companion was the robe which he held very close graduated from Wittenberg College and Hamma Divinity as if it contained some inexplicable remedy for heartache. School. He was ordained as a Lutheran priest and he The derivation of the word slave encapsulates a bit of ministered in different churches for nearly 30 years in limited European history and explains that the two words slave and states of America and Canada. Douglas retired from the divine Slav are so similar and they are, in fact, historically identical. service in 1933 and became a full time writer. The word slave first appears in English in around 1290. “Slav, Douglas was a talented equally as a preacher and writer. His slave,” was first recorded in around 800. A.D. The spelling of first publication ‘Magnificent Obsession’ was solely spiritual English slave is closer to its original Slavic form which first in nature. In 1929, he completed his first novel ‘Magnificent appears in English in the 1500s. Slavs became slaves around Obsession’ which became an immense best-seller. With the the beginning of the ninth century when the Holy Roman success of this volume and his second novel ‘Forgive Us Our Empire tried to stabilize a German-Slav frontier. By the 1100s, Trespasses’, Douglas eventually earned enough that he could stabilization had given way to wars of expansion and quit the ministry to become a full-time writer. Douglas extermination that did not end until 1410, when the Poles intended his novels to be spiritually uplifting and his crushed the knights of the Teutonic Order at Grunwald in popularity continued with such titles as ‘Green Light’, ‘White north-central Poland. It comes from the Indo-European root, Banners’, ‘Disputed Passage’, ‘Invitation to live’ and ‘Doctor whose basic meaning is “to hear” and occurs in many Hudson's Secret Journal’. His last two novels – ‘The Robe’ derivatives meaning “renown, fame.” (Your dictionary.com and ‘The Big Fisherman’ - were based upon characters and /slave) situations from the New Testament. Among all the novels, A chattel slave is an enslaved person who is owned forever ‘The Robe’ sold more than 2 million copies, without any and whose children and children's children are automatically reprint edition and Douglas sold the motion picture rights to enslaved. Chattel slaves are individuals treated as complete this story and it was screened, after the demise of Douglas. property, to be bought and sold. Chattel slavery was supported A slave is a person who is the property of another and is under and made legal by European governments and monarchs. This the control of his master who is overly influenced by type of enslavement was practiced in European colonies, from something or someone. The state or condition of being a slave the sixteenth century onwards. (The Abolition project, is a civil relationship where the master has absolute power slavery). over him and controls his life, liberty, and fortune, The slave The terms subaltern and Subaltern Studies entered is subjected to execute hard and odd jobs to his master. He is postcolonial studies through the works of the Subaltern in fact forced to slog for menial wages. Studies Group, a collection of south Asian historians who The novel depicts slave trade that was practiced in the Roman explored the political-actor role of the men and women who regime. The slaves were treated mercilessly and were regarded comprise the mass population—rather than the political roles as objects. In the novel, Demetrius is the slave of Marcellus of the social and economic elites—in the history of south Asia. and he plays a vital role in helping his master. He is pictured Marxist historians had already been investigating colonial 28 International Journal of English Research history as told from the perspective of the proletariat, using the The guard ignored the chains of Demetrius and retreated into concept of social classes as being determined by economic the corridor, banged the heavy door shut and pushed the bolt. relations. In the 1970s, subaltern began to denote the He was thirsty for water and he fought for one cup of water in colonized peoples of the Indian subcontinent and described a the prison. “I can’t wait until sunset for water,’ muttered new perspective of the history of an imperial colony as told Demetrius”. (The Robe p.304). from the point of view of the colonized rather than that of the The novel also brings out the suffering and persecution of colonizers. In the 1980s, the scope of enquiry of Subaltern Christian during the early centuries. Another character in the Studies was applied as an intervention in South Asian novel is Stephanos who died as a martyr for Jesus. Stephanos historiography. (wiki Subaltern Studies). stood boldly in the open circle to preach about the gospel of As a method of intellectual discourse, the concept of the Jesus the crowd became furious and they started throwing subaltern is problematic because it originated as a Eurocentric stone on Stephanos. The stone started falling on Stephanos but of historical enquiry for studying the non–Western people of he continued his speech with boldness, though he was in pain Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. From its inception as an he never gave up on his faith and finally he said “I see him’ he historical-research model for studying the colonial experience shouted, triumphantly. ‘I see him! My Lord Jesus--take me!’ of South Asian peoples, subaltern studies transformed from a The eyes closed, the head dropped, and Stephanos crumpled model of intellectual discourse into a method of "vigorous down among the stones”. (The Robe p.365). post-colonial critique". The term "subaltern" is used in the To conclude, the theme slavery is seen right through the fields of history, anthropology, sociology, human geography, novel. In the market place slaves were sold as a commodity and literary criticism. because they were born in the lower rung of the society. The The novel presents Demetrius as the loyal and faithful servant suffering and pain of slaves were endless and it is portrayed of Marcellus. Demetrius had come from Corinth, where his lucidly in the course of the text. They are forced to do heavy father a wealthy ship-owner had taken a too conspicuous part labour but are paid very low. They even go without food and in defensive politics. Everything had happened once in water to drink and this is evident through the character Demetrius’ family. His father had been executed, his two elder Demetrius. There is neither identity nor rest for a slave. brothers had been given to the new Legate of Achaea, his Demetrius proves to be a good slave to his master and does his patrician mother had committed suicide; and Demetrius a tall, job beyond expectation and becomes a part and parcel of handsome and athletic had been brought to Rome under heavy Marcellus. guard, for he was not only valuable but violent. The Christian minority of first century A.D were given harsh Demetrius as a slave suffered all the pain and mocking from punishment of stoning like death. Even the main Character of the Roman soldiers. Melas, a Roman officer says that “Take the novel Marcellus was a Roman soldier but he was your slave now he can’t get anywhere that way. Camels and sentenced to death because he became a Christian and asses and slaves are better off minding their master”.