“The Passing of Grandison” Analysis

“The Passing of Grandison” is told in the third particular person and primarily restricted to the consciousness of Dick Owens, the cynical and lazy young heir to a large plantation in Kentucky. His need to win the hand of his lover Charity Lomax leads him on a mission to achieve some thing of humanitarian import. Given his character and the contradictions of the South, nevertheless, his efforts can have only an ironic result. By analyzing the significance of every character and Chesnutt’s operate 1 can prove that the stories accurate meaning is some individuals aren’t loyal to you, they are loyal to their want of you. As soon as their needs alter so does their loyalty.

Dick achieves his goal by going on an excursion toward the North joined by an person slave. In the starting, he chooses a slave who he knows will try to flee when there’s an open door. The arrangement is confounded by Colonel Owens, who demands that he run with Grandison. The colonel trusts that Grandison is steadfast and abolitionist-verification, that is, insusceptible from the men and women who may well tempt him to flee. For certain, the colonel tests Grandison, who guarantees his master that he acknowledges his subordination, is derisive of cost-free African Americans, and fears abolitionists.

Chesnutt utilizes a double layer of irony at instances. Knowing that his readers will be conscious of the stories of escaped slaves making use of the North Star as their guide to freedom, he ironically describes Grandison leaving Canada for Kentucky with the North Star at his back. “One of the scoundrels wanted to kill him, and persuaded the other people that it ought to be accomplished but they got to quarreling about how they must do it, and prior to they had their minds produced up Grandison escaped, and, maintaining his back steadily to the North Star, produced his way, right after suffering amazing hardships, back to the old plantation, back to his master, his close friends, and his home” (Chesnutt). At first, this seems to reinforce the idea that Grandison is a model slave who actually turns his back on freedom. At the end of the story, nonetheless, it becomes clear that he has thought very first of his loved ones and planned for all their happiness even at the risk of losing his own freedom.

Grandison is not the only character guilty of unloyalty, dishonesty, and deception. Dick Owens betrays his father for the enjoy of Charity Lomax “Well, I ‘m prepared to attempt as significantly as any other man. What do you want me to do, sweetheart? Give me a test.” “Oh, dear me!” said Charity, “I don’t care what you _do_, so you do _something_. Really, come to consider of it, why must I care whether you do anything or not?” “I ‘m positive I don’t know why you ought to, Charity,” rejoined Dick humbly, “for I ‘m conscious that I ‘m not worthy of it.” “Except that I do hate,” she added, relenting slightly, “to see a actually clever man so utterly lazy and good for absolutely nothing.” “Thank you, my dear a word of praise from you has sharpened my wits currently. I have an notion! Will you adore me if I run a negro off to Canada?” “What nonsense!” stated Charity scornfully. “You need to be losing your wits. Steal an additional man’s slave, certainly, although your father owns a hundred!” “Oh, there ‘ll be no trouble about that,” responded Dick lightly “I ‘ll run off 1 of the old man’s we ‘ve got too many anyway. It might not be really as tough as the other man identified it, but it will be just as unlawful, and will demonstrate what I am capable of.” (Chesnutt).

Dick betrays his father because his requirements changed. He sets proving his heroicness and bravery to Charity Lomax as his quantity 1 priority. This certainly backfires at the end of the brief story. Which leads me to my final point. Chesnutt’s makes use of double irony and hidden plot simply because there is a discrepancy amongst what his intended audience is expecting and to takes place at the end of the story. “Well, I sh’d jes’ reckon I is far better off, suh, dan dem low-down free of charge niggers, suh! Ef anyone ax ’em who dey b’long ter, dey has ter say no one, er e’se lie erbout it. Anyone ax me who I b’longs ter, I ain’ got no ‘casion ter be shame’ ter tell ’em, no, suh, ‘deed I ain’, suh!” (Chesnutt). As seen Grandison speaks in an ignorant thick dialect and refers to Colonel Owens as master and stresses how loyal he is to him.

By analyzing the significance of every character and Chesnutt’s function one can prove that the stories accurate meaning is some individuals are not loyal to you, they are loyal to their need to have of you. After their wants modify so does their loyalty. In conclusion each Grandison and Dick Owens showed unloyalty. They each put their wants prior to their loyalty to Colonel Owens. The title “The Passing of Grandison” wasn’t merely since Dick Owens took him up north and/or how Grandison fled the plantation with his loved ones but also how Grandison was capable to pass as a loyal ignorant slave.