The Longest Memory

by

Fred D’Aguiar

The Longest Memory Symbols

Paradise

In The Longest Memory, the notion of paradise represents the deep divisions that exist between the old slave Whitechapel’s views about death and other slaves’ hope in freedom. While many slaves—including Whitechapel’s son…

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Whip

On the plantation, the whip symbolizes the insurmountable divide between a master and his slaves. Although Whitechapel initially believes in Mr. Whitechapel’s fair treatment, the very existence of the whip underlines slavery’s inherent brutality…

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