Letter from Roxy to Friends of Grand Mogul

To my Beloved Friends of Grand Mogul:

I am heartbroken! Absolutely devastated. The sun does not seem to shine on this poor old woman’s life anymore. Things have not gotten better since I last told you of the horrible fate of my son Chambers, though I appreciate all of your sentiments.

I find solace in God and my religion, and the more I go to church, the more I am convinced that Chambers was fated to be sold down the river. What I did in switching out the two boys’ lives was to prevent my own babe from that very fate. And yet – that is exactly what happened! God seems to say that I was foolish to believe I could change what has been decided. Oh, the horror! Is it terrible for a mother to do all she can to provide the best for her son?

I am writing to you because a curious – and not at all surprising – written piece has recently come into my hands. Although I cannot read or write (I am having a trusted friend from the church write this letter to you at this moment), my friends here have told me about Charles Chestnutt’s “What is a White Man?” recent writing. In it, Mr. Chestnutt tries to understand the white man’s definition of a white man because it is “important for them to know what race they belong to.” Well, it sure is! That is why my poor boy is down south working and suffering after twenty-three years of freedom, though he is only one-thirtysecondth black! Yet that is the most interesting and most frustrating thing about Mr. Chestnutt’s writing. He states that in most Southern states, such as Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Georgia, a man is considered white if he has less than one-eight black blood in him, and in some states, only less than one-fourth! Yet, how is it that my son, only one tiny part black, is treated as if he’s much more? If Virginia had laws such as these, I probably wouldn’t have had to make the switch from the beginning and then my boy would be as free as Tom Driscoll.

Yet in the eyes of Percy Driscoll and other “pure” white men, my Chambers is not seen as worthy as Tom, and my act has ruined both their lives. My boy is now paying off his debt to his creditors as a slave, after so many years under the liberating, doting, Driscolls. He does not know hardship and physical labor as a slave who has grown up in such an environment. I am frightened for him. Tom, who has rightfully regained his freedom, is an outcast from both communities. The blacks and slaves shun him because of his birth and pure blood (not to mention wealth), and the whites avoid him, since for all his looks and blood, his mannerisms and language signify those of slave background. Thus, I believe that it is the environment that shaped the attitudes and behaviors of these two boys, not their blood. If my Chambers did not live such an unregulated, unrestrained life characteristic of a free, white man, I am certain he would not have acted the way he did.

It is difficult to live these days. I am saving up money given to me by Tom Driscoll to eventually free my son so he could start over. Hopefully, he can learn to live a life distinctive of a free white man, but with the knowledge and understanding of the importance of his black ancestry, all one-thirtysecondth of it.

Yours,
Roxy

Question 1) The real Chambers’ attitude and behavior changed dramatically once he found out that he had black blood in him and was still technically a slave. How much does one’s ancestry affect one’s identity, which in turns affects one’s attitude and behavior? Is one’s ancestry more influential in the period of slavery and rigid racial distinctions, especially when post-war laws regarding treatment of ex-slaves were not enforced by Southern states? Has the importance of ancestry diminished since then? What are the main factors that influence identity today and would it differ from person to person?
Question 2) The individuals in Pudd’nhead Wilson are much affected by social norms and mores of their town. All of the characters face strict scrutiny by their peers and often their peers determine their lives, such as with David Wilson. Does such a society exist in the Northern states or does it only flourish in smaller towns of the South? How might David Wilson be regarded had he made such comments in the North? How is one’s identity also shaped by those around him, and not just by race? Is race and social customs related in its effect on the lives of those these factors are imposed?