Slavery in the East

August Heinrich

Blog: 2/11/13

Slavery in the East

Hoja and the narrator appear to have a relationship atypical relationship between master and slave. From the beginning of the narrator’s captivity, he is presented as an anomaly compared to the rest of his shipmates taken captive by the Turkish fleet.  To whatever extent his knowledge as a doctor, with astronomy, and navigation may be, it is presented vaguely. His identity as a doctor awards him protection and favor in the pasha’s eyes, and the narrator becomes more valuable than the rest of the slaves.

This does not match our standard view of slavery in the west. More often than not, especially when reflecting upon the Civil War era, we envision a collection of slaves, usually anywhere from a small group to many houses of them, and assume their subjection under their master or masters. The narrator in The White Castle is soon granted preferential treatment for how he and Hoja handled the fireworks for the wedding, as well as his correct prediction that the sultan would survive an assassination attempt unscathed. Eventually, he becomes the only slave belonging to Hoja, who he worked with on the fireworks for the wedding. Under Hoja’s command, the narrator receives occasional punishments and beatings, but he isn’t exposed to harsh, physical labor.  His time spent under Hoja’s watch is more a mental test than physical. The more time he spends at Hoja’s, the more it seems that he’s Hoja’s teacher and has more influence on Hoja’s mental state than Hoja has on his.

This intellectual battle is both intensified and relaxed by injections of conversation between the two. These minor exchanges are not a prevalent theme in many western accounts of slavery, as African American slaves weren’t even seen as people. The narrator appears to be a necessary influence on Hoja, and he is therefore granted a level of respect, despite his label as a slave and subjection to Hoja’s punishments and occasional beatings. These differing accounts emphasize how little we know about slavery and how it is utilized in different cultures.