The Psychology of Slavery in Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad In the disheartening world of Colson Whitehead’s 2016 novel, The Underground Railroad, Whitehead offers his take on American-ness. Racism and discrimination continually resurface among people, and with problems suppressing sanitizing American history, Whitehead felt it necessary to provide a fictional slave narrative that does not shy away from the horror of slavery. Michael Schaub of the National Public Radio further describes The Underground Railroad being “a novel against forgetting… when the country’s collective memory about slavery and race hatred seems to be fading (Schaub 1). In The Underground Railroad, with the intention of using magical realism, Whitehead is able to shed light on the enduring nature and psychology of slavery in the history of America.
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Cora’s journey through different states provides differing types of racist events from the eugenics movement to Holocaust-like events. Whitehead also explores how people suppress and falsify America’s past through Cora’s work at the museum. Furthermore, he explains that Manifest Destiny causes people to believe it is their divine authority to suppress others. Whitehead uses this novel to show how America is still heavily involved in racist attitudes and beliefs, and he wants this story to call attention to such problems. Whitehead believes America has a dark past especially when a train conductor tells Cora to “look outside as you speed through, and you’ll find the true face of America” (Whitehead 69) and all Cora could see was darkness. At the end, Whitehead is hopefully for the future and by leaving Cora’s fate undecided, he is showing that there is a chance for change in
Cora’s journey through different states provides differing types of racist events from the eugenics movement to Holocaust-like events. Whitehead also explores how people suppress and falsify America’s past through Cora’s work at the museum. Furthermore, he explains that Manifest Destiny causes people to believe it is their divine authority to suppress others. Whitehead uses this novel to show how America is still heavily involved in racist attitudes and beliefs, and he wants this story to call attention to such problems. Whitehead believes America has a dark past especially when a train conductor tells Cora to “look outside as you speed through, and you’ll find the true face of America” (Whitehead 69) and all Cora could see was darkness. At the end, Whitehead is hopefully for the future and by leaving Cora’s fate undecided, he is showing that there is a chance for change in