Jayna Brown’s interpretation of
central ideas raised through and about the character Topsy continuously
referenced the role of the body and information brought about through the
examination of Topsy’s use of her body. Essentially, Brown argued that there
are two overarching understandings of Topsy’s representation of the black body.
She utilized the descriptions and discussions of Topsy’s haphazard, wild
movements, in addition to her inability to be injured by physical force initially
as exposure of multiple racist, pseudo-scientific, long held beliefs about the
black body, in reference to primitivism and power. Brown mentioned ideas of the
ability to feel pain as an indication that “black Africans could be lifted up
from their savage state.” (81) Yet, Topsy’s performance had the opposite interpretation
because the physical attacks on Topsy’s body did not appear to reveal
indications of pain. This lack of pain dehumanized Topsy. Brown, however,
offers the idea that Topsy’s continued rising up after being struck could have
also been interpreted as an act of defiance, disruptive resilience, and refusal
of humiliation. (p 77) Additionally, Brown refers to the reference of power
over the black body by the white women who acted in the role of Topsy, as well
as the commodification of the black body by white slave owners. Brown,
ultimately reveals that the body, black or otherwise, innately cannot be owned
by an outside force; it can only be owned by its inhabitant. (p 85) Thus, the beliefs
that whites could own and define black bodies are false impressions. Rather, Brown
refers to Topsy’s dancing body as a “reclaimable trope of black expressive
transfiguration,” which represents the notion that blacks can control the
appearance and understanding of their bodies. (p 77)
Brown essentially offers two
juxtaposing interpretations of Topsy’s role in Uncle Tom’s Cabin as it relates to the black body. Her performance could potentially be
perceived through either meaning. What effect does Brown’s reinterpretation of
Stowe’s character Topsy have on understandings of the black body, especially
that of the black female child? Could Topsy’s performance perhaps legitimately
indicate elements of each interpretation or is Brown correct in dismantling the
initial representations of the performance and indicating alternative views?
No comments:
Post a Comment