de Lisser, Herbert.
The White Witch of Rose Hall
Papers
Jamaican Savagery in
The White Witch of Rosehall
David Harrington
The White Witch of Rosehallrepresents an inversion of the typical pastoral myth. A pastoral typically presents the countryside as a nurturing place similar to the Garden of Eden; a land free from the restraints of city and commercial life where humans flourish spiritually and in their relationships with other humans. The most well known classical example of the pastoral is Arden from Shakespeare's As You Like It. Jamaica, as it is depicted in de Lisser's novel, shares with Arden and other pastorals only the benefit of a beautiful natural environment; everything else about Jamaica in the novel is marred by savagery and devilishness.
The land in The White Witch of Rosehall has an immediate contaminating effect on those who inhabit the island. In a traditional pastoral the land is a provider and a nurturer for its inhabitants. In Jamaica, however, the inhabitants are literally enslaved to the land; it is an oppressive and tainting force rather than a refuge. The pitfalls of Jamaica extend not only to the blacks, but the whites residing there. The narrator explicitly blames the influence of Jamaica for the degradation of its inhabitants, especially whites, who are tempted by the drink and sex of the island.
A lifelong liaison with the girl, and children, and no real obligation to work … what was there in all this to save the deterioration of a young fellow who had fine interests and was a gentleman? … These tropics … If they did not become physically the white man's grave, they formed for him as deadly a spiritual sepulcher. It was death anyway. (191-92)
Jamaica has a similar degrading effect on Annie. The island provides Annie with the lack of order she needs in order to be able to practice her witchery [ Here I would make more of the words that de Lisser uses: domination and sensuality. I would then think about why domination and sensuality are such negative terms for a planter class woman. Despotism is one idea that that is clearly anti-European, anti-rational, etc. Clearly, these offend the very notion of a proper woman.). Instead of nurturing her virtue, Jamaica only nurtures the evil in Annie.
She always felt that in England she would count for but little; there would be no supremacy for her there. In Jamaica there was. Here she could live, almost unfettered, the life she loved, a life of domination and of sensuality. Here she could put to the proof the powers she possessed and of which she was inordinately proud. (137)
As depicted in The White Witch of Rosehall, there are absolutely no redeeming qualities to be found in Jamaica. The one character in the novel who possesses any hint of promise, Millicent, dies. There is ample room for the author to allow Millicent to recover, but chooses not to do so. Millicent represents the potential of future generations of Jamaicans. She is an independent woman, free from slavery, supports herself, has a strong sexual will, and has managed to attain some semblance of an education. However, her attempts to exert her freedom only bring about her death. Even for Millicent there is no redemption to be found in Jamaica. In killing off Millicent, de Lisser has symbolically killed off any promising future in Jamaica. The fact that Rutherford chooses to flee the island, never to return, similarly promises that any virtues of civilization brought in from the outside world have no chance of withstanding Jamaica's savage horrors. Though he and Rider promise revenge and vengeance for Millicent's murder, it is clear that no justice will be had (239). Even the slave rebellion brings no hope for any order on the island. The only promise that the rebellion brings is continual violence: Annie, Rider, and Takoo are dead, and a militia gathers to squash the rebellion.
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Millie
in the Middle
Becky Stonehill
Despite the mystery that surrounds the spirited owner of the Rosehall estate, one perhaps benefits more from investigating the function of Millie's character than he does by examining Annie Palmer. Considering the frequent references to the imminent emancipation of the slaves in The White Witch of Rosehall, to a certain extent we see Millie, a free coloured as representative of the new direction that Jamaica is soon to take. Also, in this "half-breed," we witness the immediate effects of creolization; de Lisser gives us a figure who greatly values her education, yet is also profoundly superstitious. Equally as important as the character, herself, are the effects she has on the other characters. She gives impetus to the slow beginnings of Robert's creolization and proves most dangerous to Annie Palmer, the greatest challenge to her long-held authority.
We immediately recognize the European influence in Millie, as she refers to Robert as "squire" rather than "massa" (43) and displays abundant pride in her capacity to read and write (43,45). Robert appreciates the "air which [her cousin] completely lacked" (43), and thus is all the more shocked when Millie reveals her foreign culture, explaining, "Yes, if you like me an' I am your housekeeper. You would be my husband, don't you understand?" (44)
But Millie does much more than teaching Robert the Jamaican meaning of the word housekeeper; through her, he begins the process of creolization. Although, at first, Robert is astonished when Millie seats herself next to him on his bed (69), very soon we witness his rather rapid acculturation, learning that "to his own amazing surprise, for he had not contemplated any such action, he bent over and kissed Millie on the mouth, and gaily sallied forth" (75). His acquaintance with Millie allows Robert to recognize certain misconceptions he had about the Jamaican people, as he admits, "I never imagined when I left England that I should find here a brown lady to take such an interest in my welfare and lecture me on the error of my ways" (100). Although he says it sarcastically, we find it telling, nonetheless, when Robert refers to Millie as "mentor" (100). For Millie inspires Robert to question the most rigid of English social mores, to muse, "This was Jamaica, and why would he not do in Jamaica as others did? To be a model of virtue here would be merely to make oneself ridiculous . . .. Why should I be a prude" (102-3)? His declaration to this "brown girl" that he will always stay with her and care for her (103) would have been unconscionable just days before.
Not only does Millie's character serve as a motivational source behind Robert's creolization, but, a splendid product of creolization herself, she proves to be Annie's one rival, the only one who could force the commanding proprietress to lose her cool in front of Robert. Just as Annie repeatedly laments the change that Jamaica has undergone, allowing more freedom to slaves and restricting harsher and fatal punishments, she is horrified and outraged that the power of a white woman of great status could now be jeopardized by a brown girl. We see her terror of this shift in the balance of power when she loses her composure, accidentally exposing to Robert the shrill of her voice, and explodes, "Jealous of you, of a creature like you - you? . . . Dirt that you are, how dare you" (106)! We find that Annie's fears are by no means unfounded, as Millie notes that "other girls like her had fought with as highly placed ladies before in this same parish, and had won" (76).
If these "highly placed ladies" bear any resemblance to Annie Palmer, we cannot wonder at the frequent victory of the brown girls of Jamaica. Millie serves to illustrate further the degree to which Annie deviates from the English perception of virtue and class. Annie disregards discretion and cares not about public opinion, whereas Millie is quite concerned about the impression she makes. When Ashman suggests Millie pretends to be his lover, she remarks, "But suppose Mr. Rutherford think so, too? He's a stranger. What will him think of me" (85)? Here, we see emerging certain opposites from the prevailing European perception of the situation in Jamaica. But if Millie is to be seen as representative of the changing face of Jamaica, we recognize just how far there is yet to go, as we learn that in her mind Millie calls Robert "massa" rather than "squire," "yielding to custom, in spite of her freedom and education . . ." (78-9).
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The
Significance of Annie Palmer's Portrayal
Maya Chandrasekaran
A handsome young English gentleman, a beautiful widow with a mysterious past, a young black native, the obeah, and an exotic "land of promise, of glorious sunshine, laughing people and beckoning adventure" (144, de Lisser). On the surface, de Lisser's novel The White Witch of Rosehall is a story that falls into the pot- boiler romance genre. However, while this may be the case, the novel is also important for the picture it presents of West Indian society. The novel articulates de Lisser's own concept of both the terms Creole and creolization, and, in the nature of the characters and the specific traits attributed to them, the author seems to be making a statement of his view of this type of creolization.
Carolyn Allen describes the Creole as being New World born of Old World parents, and having one identity by blood, "and another by place of birth, being simultaneously the same and different, colonial 'other'" (36, Allen). It is precisely these characteristics that Annie Palmer exhibits and she is the most obvious example of a Creole in this sense of the word.
Annie Palmer is a beautiful young widow, born of Scottish parents and brought up originally in Haiti. While being described as white and aristocratic in bearing, de Lisser depicts her "Englishness" as being deceptive. Very early into the novel, she is revealed as possessing several of those characteristics attributed to the blacks on the island. Here is a example of the stereotypes discussed by Daniel Segal, in his article "'Race' and 'Colour' in pre-independence Trinidad and Tobago" (88, Yelvington). Defiant of social norms for her class, Annie Palmer is open in her sexuality and displays no qualms about sleeping with either Ashman or Robert Rutherford outside the sanctions of marriage. She is described as being a woman "in whom sensuality is temperamental and dominant" (67, de Lisser) and appears to be inured to "the callous frankness of a Jamaica liaison" (65, de Lisser). Thus de Lisser seems to be making direct associations between what he considers the "West Indian ethos" (39, de Lisser) of lax moral codes, and Mrs. Palmer's indecorous behavior.
Similarly, the author talks of Mrs. Palmer's harsh cruelty towards her slaves, but at the same time, he has Robert Rutherford, the main protagonist, comment on the fact that after the whipping of the three rebellious slaves, the other slaves cheerfully carry on with the mundanities of their daily existence. Thus, he (the protagonist) concludes, the Jamaicans seem to have a different perception of the value of human life. This alternate perception, de Lisser believes, has transferred itself to the Creoles, in this case, Annie Palmer, and thus perverted her natural, English sense of humanity and justice. Later in the novel de Lisser forthrightly describes his character as being perverted and mad (222, de Lisser).
Thus, the very same characteristics that Robert associates with the island -- riotous, raucous living, an absence of sexual morality, indolence and a calm, almost callous indifference for the value of human life - are exhibited in Annie Palmer, the Creole.
From this transference of values, we can assume that de Lisser saw creolization as a process in which cultural values were transferred to the 'colonial', who then becomes a Creole. The question this portrayal then raises is that if Annie Palmer's depiction is representative of creolization, what does this mean about de Lisser's own views on the issue of creolization? Implicit in this understanding of the process of creolization seems to be de Lisser's own disapproval of the process, since he appears to equate West Indians with weakness and laxity of virtue.
Works Cited:
de Lisser, Herbert, The
White Witch of Rosehall
Allen, Carolyn, "Creole then and now: the problem of Definition".
Segal, Daniel, " 'Race' and 'Colour' in pre-independence Trinidad and Tobago",
Trinidad Ethnicity, Yelvington, Kevin Ed. Macmillan Press, Knoxville,
Tennessee : 1993
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Rutherford's
Changing View of Slavery
Betsey Watkins
In The White Witch of Rosehall, the character of Rutherford undergoes an internal battle over whether he should conform to the ideals of a distant English society, or allow himself to undergo a process of creolisation in which he adopts the customs and beliefs of West Indian whites (particularly Mrs. Palmer). Rutherford's views of slavery and the slave class are one place in the novel where the struggle between his English ideals and the realities of the white position in Jamaica are made apparent.
The moment Rutherford arrives at Rosehall, the landscape itself makes a statement regarding slavery. One can assume by the language used to describe Rutherford's thoughts that he initially finds the practice of slavery as practiced by Rosehall, out-dated and barbaric. Upon seeing the house, "Rutherford knew that it represented the pride and arrogance of the planter caste which still ruled in Jamaica." (7) In addition, when he observes a female slave flogged in the presence of Mrs. Palmer, he contrasts Jamaica with England and finally concludes "on this estate of Rosehall the evil, reckless spirit of former days seemed to manifests itself . . .here he was back in the eighteenth century instead of being in the early nineteenth." (32)
Rutherford observes the slaves carefully upon his arrival to Rosehall, noting their clothing, methods of workmanship, and even their curiosity. Lisser also aligns Rutherford with slaves, while at the same time distancing him. One is reminded that the class of book-keeper indicates inferiority and that Rutherford has become a member of this class: "A sort of chief slave-driver, the book-keeper was in some way a slave himself. He had an inferior status, a poor salary, and (as he had heard) unlimited labor." (10) However, in Rutherford's demand to be treated courteously by Ashman, one recalls (as Mr. Rider later points out) that he is a book-keeper by choice and recognizes himself as superior to the slaves.
Although acknowledging their inferiority, Rutherford's sense of English propriety does not allow him to disregard the slaves and lower classes as Mrs. Palmer does. He interferes with the beating of a female slave and is disgusted with Mrs. Palmer for not regarding the pain of the slaves: "Only a devil would willingly watch the agony of others as she had done." (32) In addition, he often concerns himself with what the slaves are thinking about his affair with Mrs. Palmer: "he now felt ashamed that these menials, slaves though they might be, should see him, know whence he came, and be able to talk about it freely with their companions." (65)
However, through a process of creolisation in which Rutherford comes to internalize the beliefs of other whites in Jamaica (particularly Mrs. Palmer), his conceptions about native people alter. He begins to question the humanity of slaves as his new lover has asserted that "they ha[ve] no feelings," and "d[o] not matter." (41) Rutherford demonstrates the affect that Mrs. Palmer has on him by temporarily resolving himself to feel that "what they might think could not have the slightest sort of significance." (41) In addition, he justifies Mrs. Palmer's harsh treatment of slaves and states that the slaves "were not treated badly; his judgement had been too hasty." (42).
Millie notes Rutherford's change as well: "though he been here only a few days he is different already. He more careless-like, don't seem to mind nothing at all now." (96) However, as Millie regards this change as negative and one that must halt, white characters in the novel seem to regard this "creolisation" as a natural process. One learns that Ashman has seen other whites from England whose "highest ideals. . .all seemed to disappear as completely as if they never existed." (93) Also, Mrs. Palmer initially felt disgust, like Rutherford, when she witnessed a flogging (although we learn that from the start she had "found a terrible fascination in it"). (80) Finally, Mr. Rider describes the process by which Europeans become a part of the West Indies. (124) Early on, the narrator states of Rutherford that "the West Indian ethos was already affecting him." (124) This affect extends beyond Rutherford's newly found desire to engage himself with both Mrs. Palmer and Millie to his conception of slaves as a people and his place in Jamaican society as a white person of stature.