Honest and Dishonest White People in Olaudah Equiano’s Autobiography

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A common theme in slave narratives is the influence of both honest and dishonest whites on slaves. Dishonest white people are most common in slave narratives, being those master who don’t feed their slaves well or have no regard for slave families. The honest whites are those that see slaves a people and not property, and usually help slaves along their tough journey. In The Interesting Narrative of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African, Written by Himself (The Interesting Narrative), Equiano encounters many whites that treated him cruelly, but also a few that saw the inhumanity of slavery and actively worked to help him, showing that there was still hope in improving society.

When Equiano was first brought on the slave ship, he was offered food, but when he refused to eat, two white men punished him. “One of them held me fast by the hands… while the other flogged me severely” (Equiano 365). Punishment was a recurring conflict for many slaves, and it could hardly be avoided. When slaves got desperate and jumped off the ship into the water, they were recaptured and “most severely cut” (Equiano 365). Slaves that abandoned ship didn’t expect to escape; they’d rather die than be a slave. One day, when the white ship crew caught a load of fish to eat, the slaves expected to get some part of it, but the whites just “tossed the remaining fish into the sea again,” although the slaves “begged and prayed for some” (Equiano 366). Some slaves tried to sneak some fish to eat, but “the attempt procured them some very severe floggings” (Equiano 366). Slaves were not thought of as humans, so these whites had no sympathy towards them. These are examples of the cruel and inhumane treatments that many whites gave toward slaves.

Although there were many bad white people during the time of slavery, there were still some good ones. The first one that Equiano meets is Richard Baker, who went through many of the same sufferings as Equiano while on the ship. Richard Baker dies at at a young age shortly after he meets Equiano, but Equiano still regarded him highly; as a man who “discovered a mind superior to prejudice” (Equiano 370). His death was hard on Equiano because he was his interpreter, and Equiano felt although Richard understood him on a surface level, he also saw Equiano as a person and not a slave. When Equiano was sold to a new master, he met Daniel Queen, a captain’s attendant who helped Equiano a great way in his education. “Hee taught me to shave and dress hair a little, and also read the Bible, explaining many passages to me” (Equiano 373). Later, Equiano was sold to Robert King, who helped Equiano learn and better himself; he offered to put Equiano “to school, and fit me [Equiano] for a clerk” (Equiano 375). King was kind to Equiano and was captured by his character, but he got some flack for treating his slaves well. King had a fundamentally different approach with his slaves than most other white men, he treated slaves well so that “he was better and more faithfully served by them in return” (Equiano 375). All of these people had a positive impact on Equiano’s life by helping him while he was struggling, giving him an education, and ultimately helped him achieve freedom.

Along his journey to freedom, Equiano encounters many good and bad white people. The bad are those that are stereotypical to slave narratives, who seem to be the majority of people. These are your typically slave masters who punish slaves for every misstep and show no sympathy towards slaves’ families and humanity. The good whites are those that contradict these stereotypes of white people in slave narratives, and show that there are still those who believe in change. These people see slaves as people rather than property or tools to abuse, and they are the ones who believe in change. Equiano writes positively about these few people that he encounters not only because they are kind and helpful to him, but because these are the people that can ultimately end slavery. By patronizing the honest white men and antagonizing the dishonest ones, Equiano paints a picture that shows the reality of the situation. He hopes that the majority of white men will realize that slaves are intellectual human beings that are no lower than whites, and those that already understand this are the ones who must realize that they are the ones who can ultimately end slavery.