Critical Analysis of the Octoroon

The Octoroon, only considered second amongst antebellum melodramas, is a good turn create verbally by Irish causality Dion Boucicaut. The play focuses on the grove Terrebonne, the Peyton estate and its residents, namely its hard workers. During the time of its premiere, The Octoroon, inspired conversations approximately the abolition of bondage as well as the general mistreatment of the African Americans. Derived from the Spanish language, the ledger octoroon is defined as maven who is 1/8th sinister. Zoe Peyton, , The Octoroon, is the purportedly freed biological daughter of label Peyton, former owner of the plantation. In play, the lovers, Zoe and the judges prodigal nephew, George Peyton, are cross in their quest by bleed and the the evil maneuverings of a material-obsessed overseer named Jacob MClosky. MClosky wants Zoe and Terrebonne, and schemes to buy both. Boucicaults play focuses on the self-abnegation of liberty, identity, and dignity, while ironically preser ving super acid African-American stereotypes of the antebellum period. The play does this through with(predicate) several characters, near importantly, through Zoe and the Household slave Pete. While the author attempts to mention anti-slavery sentiments, the play is largely in ineffectual of being a true indictment of slavery by further perpetuating the African American stereotypes.\nZoe, the octoroon, serves as a means for the author to explore themes of racial prejudice without an excessively black protagonist; she is black, plainly not too black. She plays the role of the tragic mulatto a stock character that was distinctive of antebellum literature. The purpose of the tragic mulatto was to allow the commentator to forbearance the plight of oppressed or enslaved races, but only through a veil of sinlessness. Through this veil the reader does not truly pathos one of a unlike race but sort of the reader pities one who is do as close to their race as possible. This is made straightforward especially in Zoes dialect patt... If you want to get a full essay, order it on our website:

Need assistance with such assignment as write my paper? Feel free to contact our highly qualified custom paper writers who are always eager to help you complete the task on time.