Essay Sample on Oroonoko as a Hero Figure

Introduction

Oroonoko is the protagonist of the story Oroonoko or The Royal Slave by Aphra Behn. Oroonoko is a brave and strong young man. He is very committed to his people and his family. As a Prince, Oroonoko is possibly a future King, and as a result, he has an active role in the army. At age 17, he was already a captain and set to take over the mantle of General of the Army. He has good battle skills and becomes general after the injury of Imoinda's father during battle. Other than that, the author also describes him as a handsome young man with an attractive physique. All attributes that the author describes plays into portraying Oroonoko as a hero figure for his community. However, despite his successes, the author portrays Oroonoko as disobedient, selfish, gullible, and unable to complete a plan hence complicating his image of a hero figure.

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One of the negative portrayals of Oroonoko is as a disobedient person. Oroonoko went to learn the arts of war when he was five years old. He is a trained warrior whose skill in combat is well beyond that of his peers. With all the military background that Oroonoko has, one would expect that he would be good at following commands. One does not get all those achievements in the army by disobeying orders. However, all the talk of obedience comes tumbling down when Oroonoko falls in love. According to the author, the people of Coramantient are supposed to "pay a most absolute resignation to the monarch, especially when he is a parent also," (157). Since Oroonoko was the grandson to the King, it was expected of him to be very respectful and obedient of the King's wishes. However, when the King decided to take Imoinda as one of his concubines, Oroonoko refused to obey the King's wishes. There is no doubt about the unfairness of the whole situation but Oroonoko decision to disrespect his grandfather's wishes was very selfish. Oroonoko essentially destroyed his future and risked the future of Coramantient by deciding to sleep with Imoinda who the king had given the royal veil. Such an action complicates the portrayal of Oroonoko because initially, he had made rational well thought decisions such as honoring Imoinda's father when he died. His decision to sneak into the Otan makes him a disobedient child. Such actions make Oroonoko less of a hero that the author tries to portray.

Selfishness is one of the characteristics that complicates Oroonoko's portrayal. As a hero figure, Oronooko made decisions that placed the kingdom above his personal needs. He spent a great part of his life training for combat so that he could join the army. When he assumed the position of General, he was committed to training his soldiers. He took part in the trading the prisoners of war as slaves. However, when he disobeyed the King, he essentially placed his personal needs above those of the kingdom. As the grandson of the King and military leader, Oroonoko was poised to become the future ruler of Coramantient. The people of Coramantient were assured of a powerful king who was committed to his people. However, when he disobeyed his grandfather, he jeopardized all that by risking execution or creating a civil war based on the disagreement of the monarchs. Coramantient could not afford to go to a civil war because they were fighting another war with other kingdoms. A war between themselves would weaken the state and provide an opportunity for their rivals to invade their territory. That showed selfishness because he was willing to get Imoinda at any cost even at the expense of his people's peace.

The author displays another instance of Oroonoko selfishness when Oronooko finds out that the king has summoned Imoinda to his private residence. Oroonoko decides to hurt himself as a way of escaping the pain of losing Imoinda. As a hero figure, Oroonoko is supposed to care about the welfare and feelings of other people. Were it not for his attendants, Oroonoko would have committed suicide; an act that is not befitting a member of the royal family. Such action would have brought shame to his family and his community, but he did not care about them. Furthermore, he did not consider Imoinda's feelings concerning his intentions to hurt himself. She would have been devastated knowing that Oroonoko committed suicide because of her. That was selfish on his part. Such an action complicates Oroonoko's portrayal of a hero figure because he shows a tendency to act without considering the consequences of his actions to the people that surround him.

Various characters in the story easily manipulate Oroonoko. First, there was his grandfather who outsmarted him by sending the royal veil to Imoinda when Oroonoko was out hunting. The king then places spies on Oroonoko and pretends to be unaware of Oroonoko's plans, so that he can catch Oroonoko in the act. He then lies to Oroonoko that he has executed Imoinda all in a bid to get prevent Oroonoko from hurting himself or attempting to kill him. The news of Imoinda's execution breaks Oroonoko's heart. Attempts by his French tutor Jamoan and his friend Aboan yield little results. His pain lessened after some time, and he heeded to the King's summons to return to the court. On arrival, Oroonoko received a warm reception from his compatriots, and it seemed like he was starting to get over Imoinda's 'death.' That showed the gullibility of Oroonoko. He was easily deceived by the King and didn't bother to investigate to ascertain whether the information he received about Imoinda's fate is true. That goes to show that Oroonoko is a gullible figure who is susceptible to lies. As a hero figure, Oroonoko is supposed to carry some level of intelligence that is above his peers. However, the way in which his grandfather easily outsmarts him complicates his portrayal. Most times, he seems helpless and unable to act. He is supposed to take everything that comes his way whether they are good or bad, but even more important he is supposed to respond to these challenges. At that particular instance, Oroonoko does little to respond to that challenge, and all he does is mope around and decide to believe the words of his grandfather who had already betrayed him once. Therefore, by believing in the execution of Imoinda, Oroonoko showed the readers that he is gullible and that complicates his portrayal as a hero figure.

Furthermore, the slave trader easily deceived Oroonoko. A slave trader arrived after Oroonoko had returned to the court. Oroonoko along with the king had a history with the Englishman because of their practice of selling prisoners of war. Like good hosts, they give the trader a good reception befitting a royal. When the day of departure arrives, the captain asks Oroonoko and his men to join him for a meal on the ship. Oroonoko agrees, and his men agree to join the English captain for a meal. The prince and his crew found the occasion very entertaining. The author says they," were as well entertain'd, as 'twas possible in such a place to be," (179). The captain gets them drunk then asks his men to seize the drunk Coramantients and signals the boat to depart for the New World. Oroonoko and his fellow Coramantients were now the captain's slaves, and he was going to sell them to the new world. The nature in which the whole scenario happened makes the reader question the capabilities of Oroonoko. He is capable of single-handedly turning the tide of a war, but a captain who has a couple of sailors easily outsmarts him. On top of that, it does not end with the captain. In Suriname, the deputy governor easily tricked Oroonoko after attempting he attempted to lead a slave revolt. Such traits complicated Oroonoko's portrayal as a hero figure. They show that despite Oronooko's achievements and capabilities, he is still capable of suffering defeat.

Towards the end of the story, Oroonoko was unable to complete his plan. In the New World, Oroonoko made some enemies that the author describes as "notorious villains," (215). These "villains" were members of Byam's council. Byam was the Deputy Governor in Suriname, South America, and was not afraid to use dirty tactics to gain the upper hand over his enemies. As the deputy governor, Byam had a great deal of authority and used every arsenal at his disposal to make Oroonoko's life miserable. To a great measure, the deputy governor succeeded in doing that. Oroonoko devised a plan that involved killing Imoinda to spare her from the torture that will come as punishment for his actions. Imoinda gladly obliged because, in Coramantient culture, that was a sign of love. However, he became overwhelmed with grief and was unable to execute the rest of the plan that involved killing Byam. Despite all his strengths and conquest, Oroonoko was unable to follow through with a plan to revenge against a person who had cost him the life of the love of his life. That was another moment of weakness which complicated Oroonoko's portrayal as a hero figure. It shows that he had flaws and was far from perfect. On the other hand, based on Oroonoko's history, the readers expect him to find it easy to commit suicide. Oroonoko had a history of attempting to hurt himself whenever things were not going his way. After killing Imoinda, Oroonoko turned the knife against himself. However, he was unable to finish the job because of his desire to carry out revenge against Byam. These events depicted Oroonoko as a man incapable of sticking to a plan. Therefore, as much as the portrayal of Oroonoko was that of a hero figure, the author portrayed him as someone who is too impulsive to act rationally hence complicated his image.

Conclusion

Oroonoko had made a lot of accomplishment even for a prince. He had several positive attributes that portrayed him as a hero within his community. He was well versed with the western culture due to his French tutor but not well enough to understand the lack of honesty within western culture. On the other hand, he cared for his people so much that even after being betrayed by the king he still fought for the kingdom. However, the author portrays him as disobedient, selfish, easily manipulated and incapable of following through a plan hence complicating his image as a hero.

References

Behn, A. (1967). Oroonoko, or The Royal Slave. (P. Henderson, Ed.) London: Digital Library for Dutch Press. Retrieved from http://www.dbnl.org/tekst/behn001oroo01_01/colofon.html