The Book of Negros by Lawrence Hill Book Analysis (Essay Example)

Wayne Gerard Trotman once said “instead of loving people and using money, people often love money and use people”. This statement presents one of the main themes in “The Book of Negros” by Lawrence Hill. Throughout the book the main character, Aminata is taken advantage of, most times for the profit of the surrounding people, even if that means she loses everything. She and her son were sold to separate households as it proved more profitable, the British officer who promised to give her a better life if she worked for him simply disappeared and the man who promised to take her back to her homeland planned to sell her for little to nothing. The actions of many characters towards Animata, present the archetype of the chessmaster, they all have a higher power meanwhile their decisions are guided by the possibility of higher profit then already obtained. 

Initially, Aminata’s owner had separated her from her son and her husband after Aminata refused to crack under his insults. She would no longer work for the man, so he sold her and her son separately. She recalls, “I refused to work…my son was gone, my husband wasn’t coming to see me anymore… Appleby barged into the room and dragged me into the yard…he simply uttered an oath-you stupid no good Guinea wench-and sold me to Solomon Lindo.” (Hill 210). This passage creates a deeper understanding into the man that Appleby was. He was selfish. Aminata could not work “my son was gone, my husband wasn’t coming to see me anymore.” an understandable reason for someone to not work. Appleby “dragged” Aminata   out of the house when she would no longer work for him which made her no longer profitable and sold her to Solomon Lindo calling her a “stupid no good guinea wench” while doing so. Furthermore, she and her son were deliberately separated and the proceeds divided like pieces of a pie. While in New York City, Appleby comes to collect her, he has no ownership but without proper documents he would be allowed to take her, Mr. Lindo arrives with the “Bill of sale between Robinson Appleby of St. Helena Island and Solomon Lindo of Charles Town. Dated February 1, 1762. Terms of sale of Meena, a Guinea wench…agrees to purchase the wench Meena for sixty pounds sterling and… To arrange the sale of Mamadu. Son of Meena… proceeds of sale of son to be divided, three quarters to Mr.Appleby and one quarter to Mr. Lindo… and you call yourselves gentleman.” (347). Adding on to the above point, not only was Aminata sold, but her son and the profits were divided amongst the two men. Appleby tried to trick the justice system to thinking he still had ownership of Aminata. “Three quarters to Mr.Appleby and one quarter to Mr. Lindo… and you call yourselves gentleman.” This quote in particular shows the unreliability and greed of these characters. By dividing up the profits it shows how all both men wanted was the profit that would occur. Simply, she and her son had been separated and sold because Aminata could not work due to her devastation. Appleby presents the archetype of the chessmaster because no matter how much he had he always wanted more, and he would stop at nothing if it meant a minuscule profit. 

Secondly, the man who promised to take her home planned on robbing her and selling her. Aminata’s main goal throughout the story was to get back to the home she was taken from. She Paid a man with a crew three barrels of rum to deliver her there safely, although already paid they still turned to greed. Aminata thinks, “surely Alassance would honor his promises to me. Surely he would not forget he already accepted my three barrels of rum…the man-stealers planned to sell me after all. I knew in that moment I would never make it back home.” (490). The actions of Alassance and his crew present one of the clearest examples of people loving money throughout the entire book. “Surely he would not forget he already accepted my three barrels of rum” Alassance had not forgotten, he simply does not care. The fact that he could sell Aminata is to him greater than any moral or any human life. Aminata accepts “I knew… I would never make it home.” She realises that all the people who would offer to take her home will always have a different motive in mind. Further, when she had escaped, she met a village of people and told them of her travels. They mocked her for the deal she had made. She explains, "he was right, but he was wrong to say that it was better than no deal at all. I had entrusted my life to a man who sold people in the same way that he sold goats. He would sell me as he bought and sold so many others.” (495). The quote “a man who sold people in the same way that he sold goats.” presents again the materialistic point of view of the characters in the book. The quote also presents the moment she sees why she should not believe a man whose life lives on the promise of minuscule profits. “He would sell me as he bought and sold so many others.” Here the author emphasises the sheer number of people he had bought and sold. Remorse disappears under the blanket of greed. Thus, Alassance also presents the archetype of the chessmaster, although entrusted with this mission, paid a large sum, he still wanted more money. Alassance manipulates others for his own profit, no matter how large or small, blinded by his own greed.

Finally, the British had her document all the passengers who were given freedom through the New York harbor, promised her a better home, then disappeared when they no longer needed her. The better life she was promised sailed out of the harbour without explanation or even a ticket to take her there. She meets a secondary officer who explains the situation. She contemplates, “The British promise that we will be free in Nova Scotia… I was told that Captain Waters and Colonel Baker had sailed for England. No goodbye, no thank you, no indication of who would keep paying my salary. And no word left of when I could leave… “We don’t require your services any longer.”(334, 338). This quote presents a different form of greed, although they had paid her for the work she had done, when they no longer needed her they disappeared, leaving Aminata to contemplate if she would ever receive the life they had promised her. “No goodbye, no thank you.” Although they had been paying Aminata she still risked her life doing the job for the British. If she had not, she would already be experiencing a better life. When she made the trip to Nova Scotia, the better life she had been promised was not all as it seemed. She explains “If you had come to Nova Scotia free, you stayed free… If you came to Nova Scotia as a slave, you were bound just as fast as our brothers and sisters in the United States.” (361, 362). The quote “If you had come to Nova Scotia free, you stayed free.” shows exactly how the better life was no better than in the United States. The British officers spoke about how free they could be, how wonderful life was on the other side. The reality “If you came to Nova Scotia as a slave, you were bound just as fast as…in the United States.” The British military, specifically Captain Waters and Colonel Baker also play the archetype of the chessmasters, they use her because of her abilities to read and write the english language, they paid her, gave her a home however when she was no longer needed all thoughts of everything she had done faded from view, and they had used her for their own profit again lead by greed.

As a final observation, it is safe to say that the characters’ thoughts and ideas had followed the archetype of the chessmaster. When compared, all the characters follow the same ultimatum, to “love money and use people."