Slavery

“...she asked Joe why he hadn't married a Negress Slave at once?” (Page 108)

When Mrs. Joe says “Negress Slave,” she is simply referring to a negro woman. Before the 19th century, Great Britain, as well as countless other nations, enslaved negroes and forced them to do hard labor. However, during the 1800s Great Britain underwent a slight reform and slavery was abolished. In 1807, slave trade was ended, and not very long after, in 1833, Parliament passed a bill to end slavery. This novel presumably takes place during the mid-nineteenth century. As a result, one can assume that the plot occurs near when slavery was outlawed or shortly thereafter. Dickens shows cultural context within this allusion here. Mrs. Joe obviously has it engrained in her mind that it was common for blacks to be exploited as slaves. It is safe to say that there was much racism following this emancipation of blacks, a hint of which can be traced in the statement made by Mrs. Joe.

"BRITISH HISTORY THE STORY of FREEDOM LIBERTY! THE TIMELINE Freedom & justice go hand in hand." Brits at their Best. Web. 02 Jan. 2010. http://www.britsattheirbest.com/freedom/f_time_19th_1800_1833.htm.