The Deliverance from Traditional Black Writings

Oxherding Tale is a slave narrative that is unlike conventional black novels. Charles Johnson transforms the traditional black writings into a form of literature that provides meaning, existence, and freedom to blacks in literature. These traditional writings are what Johnson calls “protest novels” that relate to the hardships, racism, and the oppression placed on blacks (Johnson IX). Johnson feels that these novels are not focusing on significant points and should focus more on blacks experiencing spiritual and mental freedom regardless of enslavement. The characters who obtain freedom are adaptive and submissive, being able to give up their present notions of the self to gain a more purified form of the self, which serves as their source of existence. The static, fixed characters are consumed with their personal beliefs and unresponsive to others in their surroundings. This self-absorbed demeanor prevents them from being adaptive to their experiences. The self is not found, and therefore, existence will never occur.

History is presented in the novel indirectly through the lives of the characters, and the experiences they undergo mark historical events. The mindset of the characters also makes up experiences, which construct history. The uprising of the slaves at Cripplegate is an example of how experiences can yield historical events. George was one of the slaves that escaped after the rebellion, and after his escape, the Soulcatcher captured and killed him (Johnson 174). The uprising of the slaves is a historical event that determined the fate of George and other slaves (Johnson 65). History is also presented in the form of slave narratives, which provides a first-person account of life as a slave. Slave narratives allow slaves to convey their feelings about living in enslavement. These narratives are valuable resources in understanding