Discussion of Brown's, "Letting the Flesh Fly"

            In Jayna Brown’s chapter, “Letting the Flesh Fly,” she primarily explores the performance of Topsy, a character from the book rendered into play, Uncle Tom’s Cabin. What I found most fascinating in Brown’s chapter is the discussion of white women in black-face playing the role of Topsy. Brown claims that the role of Topsy was created by and for white women, and not male cross-dressers (p. 68). For thirty-five years, Mrs. Caroline Howard, an adult white woman, played the very young role of Topsy. Brown explains that women were seen as comparable to children, both being susceptible to misbehaving and in need of discipline and guidance (p. 71). White women may have enjoyed playing the role of Topsy because it enabled them to feel free of “white female duties” (p. 74). But Brown makes an important distinction between white subjects playing the role of Topsy versus black subjects. Brown claims that the “playful refusal to behave” that white women enjoyed “…should not be construed as an act of alliance with unfree black female subjects,” and instead these performances should be seen as, “white women’s proprietary access to the black female body, as surrogate, as servant, as always already available for use” (p. 71).

In one of Brown’s most compelling statements throughout her chapter, she claims, “The use of the idea of black suffering, an icon for all types of suffering, does not imply active alliance with black people or their continued struggles for space and resources” (p. 72). Although later in the chapter, Brown explains that the body can never actually be owned (p. 85). This is seen in the way in which Topsy, as played by a black subject, changes the overall experience of the performance. Brown claims Topsy becomes a trope for black female expressive resilience and defiance (p. 77); a far more powerful and meaningful experience than when played by a white subject.