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Literary Devices
Definition of Allusion
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to other literary works, famous individuals, historical events, or philosophical ideas... read full definition
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to other literary works, famous individuals... read full definition
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to... read full definition
1. Oroonoko in Coramantien
Explanation and Analysis—Fig Leaves:
At the beginning of Oroonoko, Behn describes the beading techniques of the people indigenous to Suriname, likely the Arawak:
The beads they weave into aprons about a quarter of an ell long, and of the same breadth; working them very prettily in flowers of several colours of beads; which apron they wear just before them, as Adam and Eve did the fig leaves.
This passage alludes to the immediate aftermath of Adam and Eve's decision to disobey God. In Genesis 3:6-7 (KJV), Adam and Eve partake of the fruit adorning the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, which they were expressly forbidden from consuming. Afterwards, the author of Genesis observes that "the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons." This excerpt from the King James Version of the Bible would have been very familiar to Behn; there can be little doubt that her references to the aprons of the indigenous people were intended to evoke Adam and Eve immediately after their fall from grace.
At the time, it was incredibly common to see indigenous Americans, Africans, and people dwelling in other non-Western civilizations compared to Adam and Eve—those who were simultaneously ignorant of sin and "worldliness," yet also responsible for originating it. This tendency to characterize non-Westerners as both ignorant and backwards, yet also innocent, was a means of justifying colonial violence. Behn showcases her opinion on this matter in a later quotation:
And these people represented to me an absolute idea of the first state of innocence, before man knew how to sin; and 'tis most evident and plain, that simple Nature is the most harmless, inoffensive, and virtuous mistress.
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Explanation and Analysis—Oroonoko as a Mythic Hero:
Behn references Mars, the Roman god of war (Ares in Greek mythology), when discussing Oroonoko's prowess on the field of battle:
He became, at the age of seventeen, one of the most expert captains, and bravest soldiers, that ever saw the field of Mars; so that he was adored as a wonder of all that world, and the darling of the soldiers. Besides, he was adorned with a native beauty so transcending all those of his gloomy race, that he struck an awe and reverence, even in those that knew not his quality.
References to Western literature and culture assist Behn in her mission to characterize Oroonoko as a gallant and refined hero, differentiating him from other Black people whom colonial powers would characterize as "backwards" and "barbaric." Such comparison is predicated on power relations that hierarchize cultures, with white European culture in the superior position. Oroonoko is only made respectable by his proximity to whiteness; he could, for instance, have possessed many honorable virtues that may have gone unrecognized by Behn had Oroonoko not been conversant in European culture and languages.
Furthermore, the comparison drawn between Oroonoko and Mars is immediately followed by the assertion that Oroonoko's mien transcended "all those of his gloomy race," painting him as an exception. Behn's narrator critiques Oroonoko's enslavement on the basis of this exceptionalism, instead of critiquing the institutions of slavery and white supremacy outright.
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3. Slavery in Suriname
Explanation and Analysis—Clemene the Goddess:
When Oroonoko first arrives in the English colony in Suriname, he is told about an enslaved woman, christened "Clemene" by the English, whose beauty has bewitched the entire country:
No man, of any nation, ever beheld her, that did not fall in love with her; and that she had all the slaves perpetually at her feet; and the whole country resounded with the fame of Clemene, for so, said he, we have christened her.
The name Clemene is in reference to Clymene, a Titan goddess from Greek mythology. Clemene turns out to be Imoinda; she is thus established as Oroonoko's destined partner by her equivalent transcendental godliness.
In Greek mythology, Clymene represents the qualities of fame and renown—qualities which particularly suit Imoinda's role in Suriname as a woman known throughout the land for her beauty and magnetism. Throughout the novel, Behn likens Oroonoko to a divine figure, even at one point comparing him to Mars, the Roman god of war. As Behn would have it, Imoinda and Oroonoko are fated to be together—they are a natural pair, suited for one another in every sense of the word. It is only fitting that Imoinda's godliness and refinement should parallel and complement Oroonoko's own.
4. Oroonoko’s Revolt
Explanation and Analysis—Caesar's Fighting:
During the revolt, Behn compares Caesar (Oroonoko) to a Fury, illuminating the extent of his rage against the colonizers, as well as his willingness to fight for his liberty:
Caesar was very much toiled with the bustle of the day, for he had fought like a Fury, and what mischief was done he and Tuscan performed alone.
This hyperbolic simile contains an allusion to the Furies (Erinyes), female deities of vengeance from Greek mythology. In the Iliad, these goddesses are described as women that "under earth take vengeance on men, whosoever hath sworn a false oath." Just as the Furies (Erinyes) mete out vengeance on oath-breakers, so does Oroonoko seek vengeance on the English colonizers who violated the principles of honor and refused him his freedom. Oroonoko places great value on chivalric principles and the power of oaths and promises. To not make good on one's promise, violating the contract of the spoken word, is a terrible offense in Oroonoko's mind. As he slowly realizes that his captors have no intention of freeing him—despite promising otherwise—his righteous indignation grows. Oroonoko's principles are more steadfast than those of his Christian captors, a reality that discredits the entire moral hierarchy of colonial enterprise.
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