James: A Novel

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussions of sexual assault, abuse, racism, and enslavement.

James’s depiction of the brutality of enslavement is noteworthy for its representations of family separation, racist violence, and sexual assault. It is also noteworthy because it illustrates the role that ideology played in the institution of enslavement. Through the character of Jim, the novel delves deeply into the hypocrisy of both religious and Enlightenment ideals for the way that they propped up the institution of enslavement and ignored Black people in discussions of humanism and equality.

Family separation is one of the first moments in which the brutality of enslavement is on display. The impetus for Jim’s entire journey is his knowledge that he is about to be sold away from his family: “They were going to rip my family apart and send me to New Orleans” (55). He decides to hide out in the woods nearby until he can figure out how to safely escape with his wife and daughter. Notably, the enslavers in Jim’s home in Missouri are not shown to be particularly cruel or physically abusive toward enslaved people. Judge Thatcher even tries to assert his status as a “good” enslaver because he does not resort to violence at one point in the