In The Woman of Colour, how does Olivia Fairfield express double consciousness as a mixed-race woman? How does this double-consciousness shape her character (motivations and actions) in the novel?
Slave trade saw many black ladies turning into the Europeans sex object, and in most instances, whenever they gave birth to children under those conditions, they were often. The case was not different for Marcia, who was an African slave in Fairfield plantation. When she became pregnant with her master, Fairfield was not ready to marry her. Therefore when she passed away, she left back Olivia as an orphan.
Olivia Fairfield is classified as an orphan whose biracial aspect has been subjected to double consciousness conflicts within her. Despite being born of a slave and her master, she still feels that she has a connection with her mother’s culture bringing about the conflict of culture and religion. That is shown where she tells Dodi that ‘the same God that made you made me…the poor black woman’. In that, she exposes her character as an educator who believes in Christianity by using her physicality. Therefore, she tries to uproot the traditional culture that judged people using their colour.
The first double consciousness that faces her involves Olivia getting married to Augustus Merton, her first cousin or depend on her father’s brother. Her character impression is stated as ‘She has a noble and a dignified soul, which speaks in her words and actions; her person is raised about the standard of her sex’ (102). Therefore unlike other women, Olivia exposes her character from naivety to a noble character who can understand circumstances that surround her, especially gender identity. Consequently, she is ready for any situation since she already knows that she is an object subjected to general curiosity.
Olivia’s language becomes the most crucial part since in as much as she wants to side with the poor men and women of colour, her voice reflects its association with the elites. ‘When I set my foot on your land of liberty, I yield up my independence’ (66) as she was speaking to her. The quote shows that she is acting as a mediator between cultures since she is talking about liberty and independence which reflects the white colonial society subjecting stereotypical ending for a traditional colonial black woman
Olivia has tried to win the double consciousness exposed to her though, in a way, the situation has ended up moulding her characters. Compared to her mother and other black women, she knows her space and what is right for her. Therefore, we can assert that Olivia example can be used as an example to teach individuals always to have self-consciousness regarding their expectation rather than just remaining naïve the whole time.
References
Anonymous; edited by Lyndon J. Dominique. (2008). The woman of colour: a tale. Peterborough, Ont. : Broadview Press.