Racism and Its Resistance in Aphra Behn's Oroonoko

Abstract

Thisdissertation on Aphra Behn'sOroonokoshows discrimination in terms of racism onthe one hand and on the other hand the resistance of the blacks in response to racism. Trefry, Byam, Bannister and the narrator discriminate and dominate the blacks on the basis of their colour, race and physicality. The whites consider themselves superior; that is why they exploit and dominate the blacks. On the contrary, the protagonist of the novel, a black character, Oroonoko, as well as his beloved, Imoinda, resist against racism by planning to kill the white men and by shooting an arrow to Byam respectively. The most glaring example of the ideology is the whites' labeling of the blacks as dogs. An armed activity on the part of the blacks registers their resistance of the whites' racist attitude towards them.