Within a period of 36 hours, a group of enslaved individuals in Southampton, Virginia murdered an estimate of over 50 whites. All those who committed the crime, including Nat Turner were put to death. Nat Turner was captured two months later and sent to jail. It was in jail that he made a confession, the famous "The Confessions of Nat Turner” when he was being interviewed by Thomas Ruffin Gray, a wealthy Southampton lawyer, and also a slave owner. The confession was later used to sentence Turner.
John Brown and Nat Turner, remains the only figures who stirred armed rebellion in the slave history. John Brown’s incident was heavily documented as compared to other revolts. Contrary, Turner’s story led to numerous criticism. The only account of Turner was his confession documented by Gray. In most instances, the picture of Turner is that of a mad or religiously indoctrinated individual.
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At the time slavery was ripe, no novelist had the guts to write about the experiences of the blacks, except Benito Cereno and Melville. Most stories were viewed from the white man’s perspective. To write The Confessions of Nat Turner was a bold decision by William Styron. Submission was the rule of slaves and no one dared to raise a hand to question the happenings. Styron tried to explain the terrible enigma of Turner. Turner was the otherworldly carpenter of murky origin and apocalyptic objectives. At the age of thirty-one, the protagonist took the road to Jerusalem, Virginia, or the road that lead him to martyrdom and immortality. The enigma of Turner is furthered by the fact that the massacre happened in Virginia and not in the Louisiana sugar plantations, or the Delta cotton fields.
Unlike most slaves, Turner had a unique upbringing, he recounts, ‘I became in short a pet, the darling, the little black jewel of Turner’s Mill. Pampered, fondled, nudged, pinched, I was the household’s spoiled child.’ Her mistresses advised him against education but availed to him the Bible that shaped most of Turner’s life. He regarded the people in the fields as ‘a lower order of people—a ragtag mob, coarse, raucous, clownish, uncouth.’ However, Turner’s life changed when his master went bankrupt and left him in the hand of in the hands of a Baptist preacher. The preacher would later sell him for $460 to a brute by the name Moore. Later he landed in the hands of Travis. From the hands he passed, he realized the slave owners ranged from ranged ‘the saintly,’ such as his first owner, ‘to a few who were unconditionally monstrous.’ The experiences and his religious conviction would later lead him to become the leader of mass murdering, and finally to his grave.
The Application of The Confessions of Nat Turner is vital in the United States history. The history of slavery holds a significant place in the United States growth and culture. Slavery was the meltdown of the United States morality. The American focus to end the evil did not only became the start of the national unity, but also the growth of American beliefs, virtues, and the American Dream.
The slave history also encompasses American class gaps and economic challenges. Turner’s confession illustrates huge class gaps in the society. His master, Turner, was a wealthy individual before bankruptcy. He says, some of his masters were broke and would sell him out for money. The blacks were naturally impoverished; their place was only the fields. The class gap still affects the United States with some societies considered wealthier than others. Many statistics have shown whites to be wealthier than other groups. The Confessions of Nat Turner is a remarkable and rare account of slavery stories. It perfectly fits the slave periods and outstands, as it is one of the only two violent activities undertaken by the slaves.
In evaluating the Styron’s text, it is clear grew up as noble religious person; however, the slave world would turn him into a ‘Sambo’ and a man suffering from both spiritual powers and vengeance struggles. It incredible how the transition takes place, from once and innocent person to almost a mad man obsessed with revenge. This part of the novel not only reveals how slaves suffered physically, but also how they went through psychological torture. Slavery altered humanity. Human oppression is common in many parts of the world. People are oppressed economically, politically, and socially. Wars, such those in Iraq subject citizens to slavery that affect their normal life. Instances of groups joining insurgencies are examples of frustrations people encounter because of governmental pressures.
Slavery is an important American history. It is an essential aspect of American dream, constitution, and key political decisions. From the once inhabitable place for none whites, America has become the center of attraction for people all over the world. From the cotton fields and sugar plantation, the nation has emerged to be among the most industrialized and donor to third world nations.
The Confessions of Nat Turner is an a personal account of Nat Turner as he reveals his motive behind the murder that he committed Southampton, Virginia. The interview was conducted by Thomas Ruffin Gray and the story was later written by William Styron. Nat Turner killing was between the only two violet actions committed by slaves against their white masters. Styron ability to write the story is considered a bold step since few authored would dare to write from the slaves’ perspective. The Confessions of Nat Turner is a painful reflection of slavery life .
