Washington Post Book Club: Douglass Women
Jabari Asim
Washington Post Book World Staff Writer
Thursday, February 26, 2004; 3:00 p.m ET
Author Jewell Parker Rhodes delves into the private life of Frederick Douglass in her novel "Douglass' Women."
Frederick Douglass, a pivotal figure in 19th-century America, was an original thinker who easily merits inclusion among the most fascinating, controversial and colorful characters in our nation's history. Author of "The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass," one of the most influential books of his time, he escaped slavery, was fearless abolitionist, and a magnificent orator whose spellbinding speeches regularly converted skeptics into supporters of antislavery.
Welcome to the online meeting of The Washington Post Book Club, a monthly program presented by the editors and writers of Washington Post Book World.
Post Book World senior editor Jabari Asim will be online Thursday, Feb. 26 at 3 p.m. ET to discuss this month's selection, 'Douglass Women' by Jewell Parker Rhodes.
Submit your questions and comments before or during the discussion.
Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control
over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.
Jabari Asim: Hello, everyone, and welcome to our discussion of Douglass's Women. I thought it would be a prudent choice for February because Douglass was born and died during this month. I also find him one of the most fascinating historical figures and am intrigued by novelists who dare to make fiction from such figures' lives. Jewell Parker Rhodes has done it before. Her first novel, Voodoo Dreams, reimagines the life of legendary voodoo priestess Marie Laveau. Her second, Magic City, takes on the circumstances surrounding the infamous Tulsa race riot of 1921. Let's get started . . .
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Lenexa, Kan.:
Mr. Asim: An interesting construct, a moving read. I feel I know the historical Douglass better (just read Foote's vol. 4--covered the Proclamation). Some reactions (Your Comments? Thanks much.) follow:
o You asked about the narrator choices. It seemed perfect for a novel on "Douglass' Women". I also liked the pairing of epigraphs--some complementary, some clashing (all moving): "He came home a free man, maybe too free."--Anna/"Mama, look, that white lady's so beautiful."--Rosetta.
o The real tension is the one inherent in our species--a species ambivalently monogamous (Kierkegaard's "desiring what we fear and fearing what we desire"). The choices bring frustration or heartbreak and guilt. Anna said it well, "I be furious. The whore of Babylon be in my house. Jesus say, 'Forgive.' But I couldn't."
o You asked about whether great men have a different code of ethics (Did the gifted Douglass newly freed, "have new rules just for him"?). It's unlikely Douglass believed that. He struggled with guilt throughout. When his little daughter died he wondered if "Annie's death was part of my burden of guilt."
o The portrait of Ottilie Assing was poignant--the little romantic girl and her encounter with the German actor. She worked for a noble cause and touched greatness in her lover. Sartre said we are condemned to be free, to choose. Ottilie, a suicide in the end, "I waited, wasted my life away." Did she choose wisely?
Jabari Asim: Wow, many good questions and comments there. My choice of this novel happily coincides with some of my own reading of Douglass material, Benjamin Quarles' early biography, and a collection of selected Douglass speeches and writings edited by Philip Foner. I also read Douglass's one work of fiction, a novella called The Heroic Slave (1853.)He was a complicated man, to say the least. Very proud, and always committed to rebutting the image of black men that prevailed during his time.
I'm glad you responded favorably to Rhodes's narrative structure. I wondered at first about her decision to never let Douglass narrate, but like you I came to see it as the most effective choice.
Yes, the tension you speak of seems to be something that interests the author a great deal. I thought she did a good job describing the sexual chemistry between Douglass and Ottilie--as well as Anna's perceptive detection of it.
I also agree that Douglass was burdened by guilt. Ottilie was quite a sympathetic character despite the role she played in the novel--a testament, I think, to Rhodes's sensitive handling of her.
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Rockville, Md.:
I enjoyed reading this novel. Anna and Ottilie spoke in real voices, especially Anna, whose character was well developed.
Reading this book did effect my opinion of Frederick Douglass. He was totally involved in himself and his mission to the detriment of his family.
Jabari Asim: Thanks for your comments. There is a danger of thinking too harshly of Douglass, though. We have to remind ourselves that the book is a work of fiction--well done, mind you, but still speculative. To prevent myself from becoming too biased against Douglass, I supplemented my reading with a look at his own writings and speeches--undeniably brilliant stuff. What intrigues me--as was the case with Jewell Parker Rhodes--is that Douglass chose to say next to nothing about Anna in his many books, essays and speeches. He was married to her for 44 years, after all. When she died of a stroke, he reportedly fell into a deep depression.
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Detroit, Mich.:
Hi Jabari,
Is this a youth book that you are promoting? Of what age should I recommend the book to?
Jabari Asim: Hello, Detroit. As much as I like this novel, I'd hold off recommending it to youthful readers. I suggest its ideal reader would be college-age or above.
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Fairfax, Va.:
Can you explain the historical and social context of Douglass' marrying a white woman and Assing committing suicide (at that time). Also, was his interracial really the main reason for her suicide?
Jabari Asim: Well, it was not only frowned upon but death-defying. Rumors of liasons with white women had dogged Douglass for years, and his marriage to Helen Pitts certainly makes one think that the rumors may have been true. Douglass had as little to say about his marriage to Pitts as he did regarding his long marriage to Anna, so we're left to speculate. Douglass had barely escaped death when he was suspected of being involved in the John Brown raid, and he had once been beaten by a mob so badly that he lost the use of one hand. He may have felt that he had already risked it all in the years before his marriage to Pitts. I'm hesitant to say much about Assing's death, other than it certainly appears to have been provoked by losing Douglass.
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Maryland
In college orientation at UMCP, Frederick Douglass book was a recommended and required reading. They gave all the freshmen a copy of the book. What we see as a great abolitionist seems misleading since his personal life was such a mess.
Jabari Asim: Again, it's tough to say exactly how messy his personal life was. Discussions of Douglass's character remind me of those about Thomas Jefferson. If Douglass did commit adultery, does it undo the outstanding things he accomplished. If nothing else, it does cast them in a far less lustrous glow.
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Lenexa, Kan.:
Much great literature came out of the abhorrent institution of slavery (Faulkner's "Absalom, Absalom!" for example). Rhodes has Anna wishing she were literate so she could read Stowe. Douglass's own account of his experience with Mr Covey the "nigger breaker" immediately brings to mind "Kunta Kinte".
It's also nice to see humor and warmth come from it--a part of man "prevailing". Remember your ealier selection when a protagonist's bungling forebear managed to escape back into slavery? Other thoughts on slavery and literature? Thanks again.
Jabari Asim: You're talking about Paul Beatty's White Boy Shuffle. Humorous takes on slavery on seldom smiled upon, even when they are very well done. I loved Charles Johnson's Middle Passage, for example--and it did win the National Book Award--but a lot of critics (esp. African-American ones) thought Johnson was too irreverent about slavery. Johnson countered with the notion of presenting slave characters as more than mere helpless victims; a noble idea I think, although few have pulled it off so skillfully. I'm also fond of Toni Morrison's "Beloved" and Arna Bontemps "Black Thunder," but my favorite novel about slavery is Sherley Anne Williams's "Dessa Rose," which seldom follows the easiest assumptions about interracial relationships during the antebellum era.
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Anonymous:
Can we talk about that for just a minute? Seems like all the great leaders of our time have had their share of infidelity -- Jefferson, Douglass, Kennedy, Clinton, Jesse Jackson and etc.
Jabari Asim: I too find a weakness for adultery very disturbing, although it bothers me more when committed by "leaders" who have frequently spoken out in favor of morality and family values. Douglass did argue that blacks needed to live according to the highest principles, that exemplary living was one of the best arguments in favor of abolition. And call me picky, but I would amend your observation to "many notable" leaders of our time, instead of "all the great" leaders of our time. "All" seems like an awful lot and "great" seems awful generous.
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Lenexa, Kan.:
I for one am not going to let Douglass's personal life affect my great appreciation of his accomplishment. Had he been a minister--counseling others on their morals--it would be more troubling.
Re the pain of our choices: The children are often the ones who suffer. Remember the scene when Anna bristled at Ottilie, "The children are not to know."? The writer Robert Clark once wrote of his divorce: "My ex-wife and I did everything possible to hurt as little as we could...but it is cruel and wicked to break the 8-year-old heart of a daughter." You seem a devoted husband and father. Any words of wisdom for the Book Club? Thanks.
Jabari Asim: I hear you. Like I said, it tends to disturb me more when people who enjoy telling us how to live our lives display a startling inability to manage their own--but enough soapboxing. I guess our frequent wandering off the central topic is a good illustration of how well Jewell Parker Rhodes has succeeded with this novel. She reminds us that great people are indeed human and subject to human failures. She also reminds us--quite poignantly--that our failures often disappoint and harm our fellow human beings.
If you enjoyed Douglass's Women, I recommend taking a look at Magic City, which remains my favorite of Rhodes's books. You'll find similar themes and a similar exploration of female characters who end up meeting face-to-face across the racial divide.
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Douglass a slaveowner?:
I am almost embarrassed to ask this question, as the idea seems so preposterous, but here goes . . . An acquaintance with, shall we say, somewhat antiquated perceptions of racial issues told me that, despite Douglass' strong abolitionist stance, he was, at one time, a slaveowner. This seems to me entirely implausible, but I wanted to know . . . has anyone else ever heard such scuttlebutt? Have Douglass historians ever raised this issue?
Jabari Asim: I've read quite a bit about the historical Douglass and have never come across any such suggestion. This is the first I've heard of such a notion.
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Columbia, Md.:
Mr. Asim,
Can you tell us a bit more about Jewell Parker Rhodes? What is her history? Where is she in her career? What is her place in the greater realm of literary accomplishment?
Jabari Asim: I mentioned some things about Rhodes's career earlier in the discussion. I included her in an essay I wrote in the Dec. 16, 2001 Book World, in which I discussed African-American novelists worth watching. Douglass' Women confirms my earlier thoughts about her.
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Rockville, Maryland:
I wonder why Douglass didn't try harder or even insist on teaching Anna to read. It seems it could have helped in his outreach for freeing slaves.
Jabari Asim: I have never been able to figure that one out either. It seems awful strange to me. Since the reasons for Douglass's failure to teach her (or Anna's failure to learn)are quite likely lost to history, we may have to rely on fiction writers to fashion an intriguing--if not plausible--scenario. Until then, folks like us will be left to wonder.
My time is up, good people. I thank you all for joining in. I always manage to learn something valuable. All best until next time. . .
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