42 pages • 1 hour read
Mary PrinceThe History of Mary Prince: A West Indian Slave
Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 1830A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Ships and Water
Multiple stages of Prince’s life involve the sea. After her first enslaver dies, she becomes the “property” of old Captain Darrel, gifted to his grandchild whose father was Captain Williams, “master of a vessel which traded to several places in America” (5). Further, being bought and sold several times over her lifetime, she is often transported by sea. The prominence of sea travel in her autobiography evokes the Middle Passage, the journey taken by ships loaded with enslaved Africans from the western coast of Africa across the Atlantic Ocean and to the Americas. While the sea might symbolize freedom and movement in other kinds of narratives, for Prince it is tied to her enslavement. The prominence of the sea also makes sense in light of her residence on a Caribbean island surrounded by water. Maritime and seafaring are important in other narratives of enslaved people, such as The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, The African (1789); the narrator, Olaudah Equiano, was also in the Caribbean for a time. Likewise, in the “Narrative of Asa-Asa,” Asa-Asa recounts the centrality of sea travel during his enslavement. He says he was “taken in a boat from place to place” (43), and the ship took him away from Africa permanently.
Salt
Related to the symbol of ships and water, salt is a recurring motif in the text. First, it is implied by the frequency of sea travel in Prince’s experience, as salt water is her mode of transport between Bermuda, Antigua, Turk’s Island, and England during enslavement. Second, she describes her tears as salt water: “The trials! They make the salt water come into my eyes when I think of the days in which I was afflicted” (5). The salt pouring from her eyes as she weeps over her physical and emotional anguish evokes the salt that she would later be forced to collect in the salt ponds of Turk’s Island under grueling conditions. This also reflects the story of Old Daniel, an enslaved man whose enslaver pours saltwater on his wounds after beating him. In the same way that salt is a commodity to be sold and consumed by others, Prince and other enslaved people are treated as a commodity to be sold and consumed.
Religion
While in England, Prince experiences a spiritual awakening. She visits a Methodist prayer meeting and later joins the Moravian church. Her religious conversion takes place relatively late in her text. However, Prince sprinkles in religious references throughout the text. For instance, when she is able to go with John Wood to Antigua, she says, “It was ordained to be, I suppose; God led me there” (14). It is because of her faith that she also meets her husband, Daniel James, at church. Prince’s faith is important to her and also helps to represent her to the reader as a morally upstanding individual. Religion is also a factor in Asa-Asa’s narration; he is quoted as being glad that he was taken to England because he did not have a Bible or the Christian God in Africa. Religious conversions are a frequent element of narratives of enslaved people and can establish a sense of solidarity between the writer and the reader, as the book’s audience is likely to consist of white Christians.
Literacy
Literacy is a common motif in narratives by enslaved people, as it typically correlates with a growing awareness of one’s situation and a sense of self. Prince first begins learning to read and write from a little girl named Fanny, the daughter of Mrs. Pruden, to whom Prince was temporarily “rented.” Prince explains that after Fanny had her lessons, she would run to Prince to share what she learned. She says, “In a few months I was able not only to say my letters but to spell many small words” (2). Prince’s literacy is especially important, as it reinforces her religious beliefs. She says of Mrs. Pringle, “My dear mistress teaches me daily to read the word of God, and takes great pains to make me understand it” (22). Through her literacy, Prince is able to engage with the Bible more meaningfully. However, both she and Asa-Asa have their stories relayed by white intermediaries with greater levels of literacy and access to white readers.
