Hannah Craft’s The Bondswoman Narrative touches on the stories of the dead through the connections the deceased have with the mortal world. The ominous effect of describing the dead acts as a way to emphasize the presence of death on southern slaves and the oppressive feeling that existed beyond the lifetimes of slaveholders.
Craft writes about the haunted atmosphere of large southern homes that make shrines of the deceased: “Memories of the dead give at any time a haunting air to a silent room. How much more this becomes the case when standing face to face with their pictured resemblances and looking into the stony eyes motionless and void expression as those of an exhumed corpse. But even as I gazed at the golden light of sunset penetrating through the open windows in an oblique direction set each rigid feature in a glow” (16).
The feelings of presence associated with the images of deceased family members in her master’s house exemplify the oppression of slavery that exists beyond any life span. By metaphorically standing ‘face to face’ with past generations of the exact people that cause pain to Craft, she is forced to feel that they are a continuation of the daily commands of her own master. Portrait art can give the effect that the eyes in a portrait are following the viewer, which creates the illusion that the object of the portrait is present. Putting these images of the dead in the context of slavery, their eyes are only forcing more pressure and fear on Craft. While the narrative describes friends and family of her master as feeling honor and pride for the deceased, Hannah Craft sees these images as a reminder of her life that is not truly hers.
Additionally, the haunted feelings from the presence of these photos adds to the closeness between slavery and death. The institution of slavery is close to death because of the inhumanity that deprived slaves of any real life. Their lives were laid out in a bleak series of events that culminated in death by unfortunate circumstances. Stories of loss, moments that blur the line of life and death, and a life that slowly draws out until the final hour are also morbid descriptions that align with slavery. So, with the knowledge that she is as good as dead, Craft cannot muster the admiration that white southerners feel towards previous generations of oppressors. Craft is essentially associating with the dead by giving them life in their ‘glow’ elicited from the sun. The ominous feeling present in this scene also gives a sense of emptiness that engulfs Craft and her environment. As the author uses words like ‘haunting’, ‘rigid’, and ‘stony’ to describe the portraits in the hall, it is clear that Craft feels no positive emotions towards these people or their spirits. The continued haunting represents the power that slaveholders continue to hold over slaves because, even when they are dead, the emotional, mental, and physical harm remains. Craft uses this passage to reiterate the darkness that encompasses a slave’s life, as there remains a feeling of being watched at all moments.
How does the haunting presence of the dead for slaves contrast from the honor that these people receive from the white population?
What can be said about the language Craft uses to describe the portraits?