Major Themes |
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The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, by Ernest J. Gaines, is the story of a 110-year-old black woman that has lived through the end of slavery to the beginnings of the civil rights movement of the 1960s. As the plot would suggest, The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman calls for social reform; however, Gaines takes the civil rights movement to another level in this novel. Most of the literature written by Black Americans during the 1960s and 1970s tends to promote the idea that the blame is all on White Americans. The message in Gaines' novel, however, is that we are all equal as humans and are all to blame for the slavery of Black Americans even though some may have had a larger part than others. Ned's speech by the river demonstrates this point:
You got some black men... that'll tell you the white man is the worst thing on earth. Nothing horrible he wouldn't do. But let me tell you this... If it wasn't for some white men, none of us would be alive here today... But even when he raise the gun or the axe or anything else he might use I won't blame all white men. I'll blame ignorance. Because it was ignorance that put us here in the first place. Ignorance on part of the black man and the white man. Because the white man didn't have to go in Africa with guns to get us. The white man came with rum and beads... Because we was already waiting for him when he came there in his ships. Our own black people had put us up in pens like hogs, waiting to sell us into slavery. He didn't tell the white man how to treat us after he got us on his ship, the white man made up them rules himself. It was just his job to hand us over, and he did that. And that he did. (Gaines 113-114)
While it was white men that held the blacks in bondage, the Black Americans’ ancestors also aided in this atrocity. He also makes it clear that it is not the Black Americans’ fault that they are held under oppression and that they should not be ashamed of who they are. Instead, they should gain knowledge of who they are and where they have come from. Furthermore, rather than trying to go back to Africa, he tells them that they should do their best to become citizens of America.
One of the major themes of The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, by Ernest J. Gaines, is that of slavery and the effects it has had on younger generations. This is a fairly obvious theme as the story begins during the civil war while Jane (known as Ticey at the time) is still a slave. When most people think of slavery, they think of someone owning another person or groups of people and making them work for free. While this is a valid definition of slavery, The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman suggests the existence of other forms of slavery as well.
It is also difficult for anyone to truly understand the impact of slavery unless they have lived through it. It is this incomprehension that has led to much of the oppression of Black Americans throughout history. When most people think of slavery, they do not realize just how horrific it must have been for the slaves physically as well as psychologically. One of the ways in which slave owners denied their slaves any sort of empowerment was by denying them their own names and therefore denying them their own identity. One critic explains this act:
To symbolize and to emphasize their westernization, slaves were denied the use of African names and given others. These were first names only. The slaves were denied a last name, one which is associated with family history, and thus, respectability. Or if the slave had two names, one would be the master’s name, either first in possessive form, as Brown’s William, or simply, William Brown. Such naming practice symbolized the slave’s essential nature: mere property. Upon gaining freedom, therefore, the first thing most ex-slaves did was to name themselves anew. In so doing, the ex-bondsman rejected an identity forced upon him by society and asserted his new-found freedom. The rite of naming was thus a central experience in the life of the ex-slave, symbolizing the act of liberation. (Ssensalo 3)
Gaines illustrates this tyranny to perfection in the first book of the novel. Upon emancipation, the ex-slaves venture off the plantation in search of Ohio where Jane is sure they will find freedom. Once they finally get the opportunity to rest, all of the ex-slaves decide on a name that they would like to call their own. This is such an important part of their liberation that they argue and fight when someone else calls themselves by the name they have chosen.
Although the slaves were told of their independence after the civil war’s conclusion, they were not completely free. After all, where would a group of unorganized poor Black Americans go, and how were they to get there with no money or supplies? Besides this fact, the patrollers that used to bring runaway slaves back to their masters were still doing their job as if slavery had never ended. The difference, however, is that now they would kill any Black American they saw wandering around rather than just bring them back to the plantation. This is illustrated in the first book of The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman as patrollers kill Jane’s entire party with the exception of Jane and Ned, who they did not know were there.
The inability for blacks to leave the plantation is eventually overcome and many ventured north in search of true freedom. Many, however, never made it to there original destination or got there and realized that there was no more freedom in the north than there was in the south. The novel illustrates this as well with Jane and Ned’s journey to find Ohio. They never find their promised land and make their way to yet another plantation. In fact, even though Jane lives for 110 years, she lives on a plantation for the rest of her life. On a simple level, this shows an inability to escape the confines of the south. One could also assess that, on a symbolic level, it represents the difficult struggle the black population endured in their search for freedom. One critic argues that “Jane’s decision to remain in Louisiana rather than continue to Ohio is an act of survival rather than one of submission (Johnson 3).”
Relations between the black and white populations seem to become healthier as the story progresses, but they all still feel obligated to live by the rules set for them by their ancestors centuries ago. There is still a segregation of the people set in place to ensure that Black Americans remain under white control. Violent acts are also committed against any Black Americans who try to cross the lines of segregation and any who try to tell others the truth. Anyone who tries to let others know that they are just as good as any white person and deserve to be in America just like anyone else is killed without a second thought.
At the end of the novel, approximately 100 years later, Black Americans are still fighting to overcome oppression. We see this in the novel through the existence of whites’ and blacks’ bathrooms and water fountains. We also see it in the way that Black Americans are forced to address and obey White Americans. We also see that the boundaries of race relations that were set hundreds of years ago are still in place. First, we see Tee-Bob Samson struggling with his love for Miss LeFabre. Once his love has grown to a point that he can no longer keep it a secret, he is reminded of the “rules” by his friend, Jimmy Caya, “Robert… Don’t you know who you are? Don’t you know what she is? Don’t you know these things yet... Africa is in her veins… If you want her you go to that house and take her… But she’s there for that and nothing else (Gaines 182- 183).”
We are later exposed to the differences in the conditions of whites’ and blacks’ facilities in Bayonne. While White Americans are given a clean, shiny fountain to drink from, Black Americans get a dirty hyphen and a cup. The condition of the blacks’ bathroom is described in the last book of the novel, “Half the time the bathroom was so filthy you couldn’t get inside the door. The water on the floor come almost to the top of your shoes. You could smell the toilets soon as you started downstairs (Gaines 243).” These conditions eventually led to some rebellion, however; many Black Americans were unwilling to help because they were still essentially controlled by White Americans and afraid of what might happen if they stood up for themselves. Elder Banks demonstrates this when talking to Jimmy, “The man up there owns that graveyard… He owns the house we live in, he owns the little garden where we grow our food. The church where we at right now… And the day he tells us to leave, we got to go… (239)”
Throughout The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, we see the theme of knowledge leading to freedom. We see the search for truth in the introduction as the history teacher begins his interview with Jane. This theme becomes most obvious once Ned returns to Louisiana and begins teaching. Throughout the novel, Gaines makes his readers realize that there is a difference between what is written in history books and the knowledge of the truth. Jack Hicks writes, “as long as man can speak it and shape it, history can deceive, can be a weapon against one’s foes (Hicks 8).” Hicks also recalls Jules Raynard’s description of Robert Samson’s suicide, saying, “His reading of the past is historically myopic, consciously blurring the pattern of cause and effect. In his account of slavery, for example, the lion and the lamb lie down together, and each is equally guilty and helpless before the fated retribution for the sins of a common past (8).” For generations, White Americans had more or less made up their own history that would attempt to soften the blow of guilt for the period of slavery. This is the history that is seen in the history books. What Gaines hopes to reveal in the novel, however, is the truth about what really happened during this time.
Before the story of Miss Pittman begins, we are introduced to the history teacher who puts the autobiography together. When he asks Jane’s permission to record her story, Mary does not quite understand and wants to know why, “’What’s wrong with them books you already got?’ Mary said. ‘Miss Jane is not in them,’ I said (Gaines v).” Most history books, especially during the time the novel takes place, contain the information that White Americans wanted to be taught in schools. Even up to the time I graduated in 1998, there was only a page or two, if not less, on slavery in history books. To get a real-life account of what really happened would mean to get the truth. In writing this story, the history teacher is not rewriting history. Rather, he is writing the truth about history. In an interview, Gaines says, “I would want the black youth to say, ‘Hey, I am somebody.’ And I’d want the white youth to say, ‘Hey, that is part of me out there, and I can only understand myself truly if I can understand my neighbor’ (Gaudet 10-11).” The only way for Gaines to accomplish this task would be to tell everyone the truth. He does an excellent job illustrating this by having a white history teacher interview a 110-year-old black woman about what is not in the history books.
The theme of knowledge then becomes most prominent in Ned’s return to Louisiana. Once Ned returns from his journeys, he decides that it is time for a change in the way things are done in America. He also sees that the only way that things can change is by everyone working together regardless of race. Through Ned’s teachings, Gaines gives us an idea that the best way, or perhaps the only way, to accomplish unity among men, is to teach the truth and educate the people. Ned does this by teaching the Black Americans on the plantation about Booker T. Washington and Frederick Douglass. He tells them to be proud of being black and that they have just as much of a right to be there as anyone else. This is best illustrated in his speech beside the river:
“Be Americans… But first be men. Look inside yourself. Say, ‘What am I? What else beside this black skin that the white men call nigger?’ Do you know what a nigger is… First, a nigger feels below anybody else on earth… he don’t care for himself, for nobody else, and for nothing else… He’ll never be American, and he’ll never be a citizen of any other nation. But there’s a big difference between a nigger and a black American. A black American cares, and will always struggle. Every day that he get up he hopes that this day will be better. The nigger knows it won’t…
“I’m telling you all this because I want my children to be men…I want my children to fight. Fight for all – not just for a corner… I’m building that school so you’ll have a chance to get from out of that corner.” (Gaines 115)
By educating the black community, Ned feels that it will promote a sense of belonging in the world and, therefore, give the people strength through unity. Through this strength and unity, the Black Americans could then make a stand for true freedom and equality.
Another major theme in The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman is that of manhood. Gaines emphasizes the importance of manhood among black males, but also demonstrates how men of all races try to prove their masculinity at some point in their lives. Men often try to prove themselves by conquering or controlling nature and other people. Likewise, it is often this controlling nature that leads to the destruction of many men. Gaines fully illustrates this throughout the novel.
The first of the black men that go out in search of manhood is Joe Pittman, Jane’s first husband. Joe felt that by being able to break and ride horses he could prove that he was a man. He convinced Jane to move to a ranch with him where he became the “Chief Breaker.” He is, of course, very talented in his job at the ranch, but he is also depicted as being somewhat foolish in his acts. When the black stallion appears, Joe feels the need to break it since it is the wildest horse that any of them had ever seen. Jane then becomes concerned for Joe’s safety and even dreams of his death. This does not stop Joe, of course, even though he himself is scared to ride the horse. His behavior is depicted as foolishness when Jane goes to see Madame Gautier, “…man is foolish. And he’s always proving how foolish he is. Some go after lions, some run after every woman he sees, some ride wild horses (Gaines 97).” The death of Joe could also be seen as a metaphor for the black man in America rather than just pure foolishness. The critic, Jack Hicks describes this part of the novel by saying, “Madame Gautier…explains the obligations of black manhood in another sense. Not only historical and political, they are existential and supremely individual as well (Hicks 6).” It was very difficult for black men seeking their manhood during this time. It did not matter what manly acts they accomplished, they were always looked down upon as black men rather than just being considered men.
The next black man trying to obtain manhood is Ned. Ned first joins the Army and goes to war. This could be considered a way to find his masculinity or it could simply be a way for him to find freedom. Either way, he finds his manhood through the teachings of Booker T. Washington and Frederick Douglass. Rather than trying to prove his manhood, he tries to prove to other black men that they are men. We see this in his final speech when he tells the crowd, “I’m telling you all this because I want my children to be men… I want my children to fight (Gaines 115).”
There are also white men in the novel trying to prove their manhood. The white men of the novel do this by trying to control others. The white landowners feel that they need to control everything that happens around them. If a black person does not act the way a white landowner thinks he should, he will commit acts of violence against the person or even hire another, usually poor white person, to kill the violator. The white landowners would often force sex on the black females on his land as well. Many men identify being able to have sex with a woman as a sign of being a man, so by having their way with the black females, they think themselves more of a man. The poor white men would do similar things to prove their manhood. The poor white population was often looked down upon by the white landowners, and the only people below them on the social scale were the Black Americans. By using violence on the Black Americans, the poor white men often felt as if they had more control and, therefore, more masculinity.
Gaines uses this theme to identify the great struggle black men had in trying to find their identity in the world as all the black men in the novel who tried to prove their manhood were killed. He also demonstrates the foolish and dominating acts that many men will commit in order to prove their masculinity and how they often have negative effects on themselves and others.