Make bullet points for the main idea
ARLENE A. ELDER
Swamp versus Plantation: Symbolic Structure in W.E.B. Du Bois' The Quest of the Silver Fleece
Although in the past commentators on the writing of W.E.B. Du Bois have concentrated upon his historical and sociological works, some recent critics are intrigued by his fictional presentation of the black adventure in America. Most of this new critical interest centers upon his trilogy, The Black Flame (1957-1961), a historically based saga of the Mansart family. Du Bois' first novel, The Quest of the Silver Fleece (1911), is, nonetheless, equally interesting in its artistic presentation of the economic, political, and social forces shaping black life. It is a crowded and complex work, shifting its action from the rural South to Washington, D.C. and back again, and achieves its unity of plot and statement through a carefully constructed framework of contrasting symbols. The Quest of the Silver Fleece is structured upon the clash of two opposing world views, that of the Swamp and that of the Plantation. The Swamp represents all that is free, wild, joyful, and loving, the Plantation, all that is self-serving and exploitative.
Du Bois successfully avoids the obvious trap of simplistically equating the Swamp with black life and the Plantation with white. While his main concern in the book is to demonstrate the physical and mental serfdom which trapped blacks even after Emancipation and to suggest effective courses of action to overcome this kind of slavery, he recognizes that some
From Phylon 34, no. 4 (1973). 1973 by Atlanta University.
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whites, too, were oppressed by economic and service editions and that white blacks knowingly profited from the service of their people presents self-sacrificial whites, like Miss Smith, the Northem Therefore, he pre schoolteacher who devotes her life to educating Southern blacks, and Afro Americans like Caroline Wynn, who have capitulated to the world's injustice and wish only to manipulate it to their own advantage. Plantation Swamp morality, then, have more to do with the tone of the soul than with the color of the skin. and
Nor does Du Bois paint the Swamp mentality as all good and the Plantation view as all evil. Primitivism, which is the weaker side of Swamp life, he shows as insufficient to advance a people in an industrial economy Primitivism consists of limiting qualities, historically generated in blacks, such as the subservience, ignorance, and acceptance of degradation found in the swamp witch, Elspeth, which must be eliminated before blacks can compete with whites. Moreover, for all its inhumane aspects, the Plantation viewpoint does encourage ambition and a thirst for knowledge, which Du Bois considers essential for any group's success. Racial, class, and even human advancement, then, rest for Du Bois in the development of the best qualities of both philosophies.
The actual swamp in the book is an area a short distance from the white-dominated town and farms. It is both ugly and beautiful, a source of nightmares as well as dreams, of despair as well as hope, a spot where black exploitation has traditionally festered as well as the place where black self- determination could ultimately flourish.
Its first description suggests the danger, despair, and loss of vision which it represents: "Night fell. The red waters of the swamp grew sinister and sullen. The tall pines lost their slimness and stood in wide blurred blotches all across the way, and a great shadowy bird arose, wheeled and melted, murmuring, into the black-green sky." Deep in the darkness of the swamp is the hut of Elspeth, "an old woman-short, broad, black and wrinkled, with fangs and pendulous lips and red, wicked eyes." It is in this hut that local white men gather at night to drink and carry on the ante- bellum tradition of sexually exploiting black women.
Zora, the wild, ignorant "elf-girl," was born in the swamp and knows it intimately. Hating Elspeth, her mother, and the sordid life at the hut, she lives in a private world of fantasy, conjuring up creatures symbolic of both the beauty and ugliness she sees around her. "And over yonder behind the swamps," she imagines, "is great fields full of dreams." Zora's dreams, spawned by the contrasts she observes, hang "like big flowers, dripping dew and sugar and blood." The inhabitants of her dream-land reflect both the hope and despair of her life:
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dSwamp versus Plantation: Symbolic Structure
"And therek little fairies there that hop about and sing, and devils great ugly devils that grabs at you and roasts and eats you if they gits you!... Some devils is big and white, like ha'nts; some is long and shiny, like creepy, slippery snakes; and some is little and broad and black...."
Many of the blacks of the region bedevil themselves and participate in the creation of their own hell by rejecting the education Miss Smith offers and forgetting any dreams they once had of escaping the oppressive conditions of tenant farming. Because they cannot read the contracts they are required to sign, they ignorantly bind themselves for life to the wealthy white Cresswells. At first, they even reject the chance for self-determination which Zora offers them with her plan for a black-run farming commune. They cling, instead, to the old gospel of happiness-in-the-hereafter fed to them by the self-serving Preacher Jones. Ignorance, fear, jealousy of each other, despair, and hopeless acquiescence in their own debasement are the self-defeating qualities which the hag, Elspeth, and the terrible "gray and death-like wilderness" of the swamp represent.
There is, however, a beautiful, joyous, vibrant aspect to the swamp which is reflected in the souls of some of the black and white characters. Zora, "black, and lith, and tall, and willowy," with her music, her poetry, and her dreams is Du Bois' most striking representative of good Swamp qualities.
Despite the area's general gloom, at times the "golden sun" pours "floods of glory through the slim black trees," and "the mystic sombre pools [catch] and [toss] back the glow in darker duller crimson." The intensity of this description is reflected in Zora, her "heavy hair" bursting from its fastenings and lying "in stiffened, straggling masses, bending reluctantly to the breeze, like curled smoke." She recognizes in herself the pent-up aspirations of her people and dreams eventually not of her childhood devils and dripping blood but of the escape from Elspeth which Miss Smith and the world beyond the swamp offer to her.
Her plans for escape are dependent upon the Silver Fleece, the special crop of cotton which she and Bles grow on her island deep in the swamp. From its sale, she intends to finance her education. Du Bois extends the symbol of the Fleece to include all the cotton grown in the South and uses it to reveal the close relationship Southern blacks feel with the soil and the difference between this kinship and the Plantation mentality's emphasis upon property and profits.
"I don't like to work," Zora once confided to Bles. "You see, mammy's
pappy was a king's son, and kings don't work. I don't work; mostly I dreams.
But I can work, and I will-for the wonder things and for you." As a matter
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- The Quest of the Silver Fleece is a complex work that explores the economic, political, and social forces shaping black life in America.
- The novel is structured around the clash of two opposing worldviews: the Swamp and the Plantation.
- The Swamp represents freedom, joy, and love, while the Plantation represents self-serving exploitation.
- The novel avoids simplistic equating of the Swamp with black life and the Plantation with white.
- Both whites and blacks can be oppressed and exploiters, while some can be self-sacrificial and seek justice.
- Primitivism in the Swamp is shown as insufficient for advancement in an industrial economy.
- The Plantation view encourages ambition and thirst for knowledge, which are essential for success.
- The actual swamp in the novel represents both despair and hope, exploitation and self-determination.
- Zora, a representative of the Swamp, embodies both the beauty and ugliness in the environment.
- The swamp characters reflect hope and despair in their dreams and actions.
- Ignorance, fear, jealousy, and despair are self-defeating qualities depicted in the swamp.
- The swamp also has a beautiful, joyous aspect reflected in the souls of some black and white characters.
- Zora's plan for escape is dependent on the success of growing the Silver Fleece, a special cotton crop.
- The Silver Fleece symbolizes the close relationship Southern blacks have with the soil and their difference from the profit-oriented Plantation mentality.
- Zora sees work as a means to achieve wonder things and dreams, rather than as a burden.
Make this simpler
- The novel explores the forces shaping black life in America.
- The clash of two worldviews, the Swamp and the Plantation, is central to the story.
- The Swamp represents freedom and love, while the Plantation symbolizes exploitation.
- Both black and white characters can be oppressed or exploiters.
- Primitivism in the Swamp is shown as insufficient in an industrial economy.
- The Plantation view encourages ambition and knowledge.
- The actual swamp represents despair and hope, exploitation and self-determination.
- Zora, a character from the Swamp, embodies both beauty and ugliness.
- Ignorance, fear, jealousy, and despair are self-defeating qualities shown in the swamp.
- The swamp also has a joyous aspect reflected in some characters.
- Zora's plan for escape relies on growing a special cotton crop called the Silver Fleece.
- The Silver Fleece symbolizes the relationship Southern blacks have with the land.
- Zora sees work as a way to achieve dreams and wonders, rather than as a burden.
Say this in a way a 6th grader could understand
- The book is about how life was for black people in America a long time ago.
- There are two groups of people in the story: those from the Swamp and those from the Plantation.
- The Swamp represents freedom and happiness, while the Plantation represents being selfish and taking advantage of others.
- Not all black people are from the Swamp, just like not all white people are from the Plantation.
- Some black and white people are good and kind, while others are mean and take advantage of others.
- The Swamp way of living is not enough to succeed in the modern world, but the Plantation way does encourage ambition and learning.
- The story takes place in a place called the swamp, which is both scary and hopeful. It shows how black people were mistreated there, but also how they can fight for their rights.
- The main character, Zora, represents the good parts of the Swamp. She dreams of a better life.
- There are also good and bad people in the story who live in the swamp.
- Some characters in the story are stuck in a bad situation because they don't know how to read or understand important documents.
- Zora's plan to escape her situation depends on growing a special kind of cotton called the Silver Fleece. It represents the connection black people feel with the land.
- Zora believes that hard work can lead to achieving her dreams and making wonderful things happen.