I noted eighteen moves and abandonments made between the years of 1830-1900. If we make the connection, Harriet was born in 1825; therefore she has been abandoned and has moved most of her life. We may be able to make the connection that she is never in one area too long. Harriet moved a lot within Massachusetts and New Hampshire. In 1851, Harriet married Thomas Wilson and in 1851 their son, George Wilson is born. Within one year, the family moves twice. The second move was because Thomas made them move and then he quickly returned to his duties out at sea. Because Thomas left George and Harriet, Harriet was abandoned by her own husband. In his absence, Thomas died at sea, permanently leaving Harriet to take care of her son by herself. In result, Harriet did not have enough money to take care of George, so George was placed in foster care as a pauper. During this time, George had to stay six weeks at Hillsborough County Poor Farm in New Hampshire, while Harriet was ill in Springfield, Massachusetts. In 1860, George dies; he was only seven years and eight months old. Again, Harriet lost another person dear to her heart, which may have felt like being abandoned. In 1870, ten years after George died; Harriet married her second husband John Robinson. In 1900, Harriet died of inanition, which, according to dictionary.com, is that state of being empty or the absence having social, moral or intellectual connections with people.
Evaluating Harriet’s life, it seems like she moved a lot and never settled for long. As we know, through the book, “Our Nig” we know that Harriet or Frado was beaten and abused often. We could make an analysis of the connection between abuse and the absence of settling down. Because Harriet was abandoned by her mother as a child then treated so badly, it is plausible to consider the reasons why she acts the way she does. It is possible that Harriet did not want to be treated unfairly anymore, yet there were always disappointments, such as, deaths of her husband and son. It seems to me that once Harriet was settled, something would happen, making her life turn upside down. Harriet has had a hard life and some may explain her life as sad, but most importantly, it is important to note that depending on how you are constructed as a child, it will hinder or help your lifestyle as you grow older. Harriet or Frado was corrupted as a child by the Bellmont family; they would beat her and treat her differently because she was black. Therefore, Harriet’s life reflects what type of life she lived: lonely and empty.
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Lyndsay, I would like to elaborate on your ending statements and perhaps add some meat to them so that we may all come to a better understanding of Wilson's behavioral characteristics and their influence on her writing. According to psychoanalytic psychologist Erik Erikson’s “Psychosocial Theory”, certain personality traits develop through a series of 8 major psychosocial stages. Each of these stages involves a different crisis or conflict over how we view ourselves in relation to other people and the world; the first 4 occur in childhood, the second 4 occur in adulthood. By examining these stages I believe we can digest Harriet Wilson more thoroughly (and perhaps Frado as well).
ReplyDeleteErickson’s Psychosocial Stages:
1) Trust vs. Mistrust (1st year/infancy)
2) Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt (1-2 years/toddlerhood)
3) Initiative vs. Guilt (3-5 years/early childhood)
4) Industry vs. Inferiority (6-12 years/middle childhood)
5) Identity vs. Role Confusion (12-20 years/adolescence)
6) Intimacy vs. Isolation (20-40 years/early adulthood)
7) Generativity vs. Stagnation (40-65/middle adulthood)
8) Integrity vs. Despair (65-Death/late adulthood)
Now after looking through these we can see that within her life (her being Wilson, with Frado as a supplement), almost each stage has been tampered with. Stages 1, 2, and 3, seem relatively untouched however, considering she still had a desire to find someone to love her (stage 1), she had sported a strong streak for independence if capable, and we especially find that in her later years (stage 2), and she never ceased to ask questions or reflect on her wants and needs (stage 3). That has us begin with stage 4, which is around 6 years old and the exact time Frado is abandoned to the Bellmonts. There she was industrious but under threat and indenture, the constant cruelty of Mrs. Bellmont breaking down her previous positive stages and driving her into ‘Inferiority’. Under this pressure, much of her adolescent life, stage 5, has her questioning her existence on earth, her identity in the eyes of God, and where, if there is a place, she belongs. This engrained depression drags her through adulthood (stage 6) with a wisp of hope for ‘Intimacy’ with Thomas, but then eventually back to ‘Isolation’. The constant moves, sense of abandonment, and deaths of those dear to her begin to prove too much. If she feels like she does not belong anywhere and is not even worthy for heaven, it is no wonder she feels alone. When Wilson reaches stage 7, ‘Generativity’ has already been snatched away with George’s death and ‘Stagnation’ sets in early… we can imagine that hopeless feeling of being stuck in a sinister place with no light at the end of the tunnel. By stage 8 it is already apparent she has suffered too long and has succumbed to ‘Despair’ if she did in fact died of inanition.
Harriet E. Wilson lived the darkest life any of us could imagine, the only color being of black or white. However these “Psychosocial Stages” allow us to delve further into her psyche and understand the functions behind her traits, whether shown through her actions or those of Frado.