Olaudah Equiano Dishonesty

A Sum of All His Parts Olaudah Equiano has long been known as an inspiration, a creative genius, and as a daring abolitionist. However, in recent years, he has also been known by some slightly more derogatory terms, such as liar and fraud. In 1999, certain findings by Vincent Carretta suggest that Equiano may not have been born in Africa, as he claims to in his autobiography The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African, Written by Himself, but actually may have been born in South Carolina. These findings have opened up a controversial debate among many literary critics and historians, not only about whether or not Equiano misrepresented his place of birth, but also about whether his fabrication …show more content…
Carrata 's findings, a 1759 baptismal record and a 1773 ship 's muster roll, are not nearly enough evidence to prove Equiano 's dishonesty. While this may seem convincing to some, there are many ways to explain these misgivings. Although Equiano claims he could “smatter a little imperfect English (369)” some time after being enslaved, this in no way made him a fluent speaker of the English language at the time. When Equiano was baptized in 1759, he had only been away from his home and his native language for 3 years, and was just beginning to get a grasp of the English tongue. When asked “Where are you from?” most fluent speakers would understand the question to mean “Where were you born?” However, with Equiano 's limited knowledge at the time, he may have understood the question to mean “Where did you just come from?” This question most likely caused him to respond that he was from the Carolinas, his previous location. Another possible explanation could be that Equiano was already attempting to assimilate into the European culture. After spending nearly three years working alongside the Englishmen at sea, Equiano began to “relish[ed] their society and manners (370).” He no longer feared them, and the more time he spent with them, the more he actually wanted to be them. Perhaps his growing “desire to resemble them, to imbibe their spirit, and imitate their manners (371),” led him to …show more content…
He was an accomplished businessman, a world traveler, an able sea hand, a former slave, a powerful abolitionist, a best-selling author, the husband of a British woman, and even the father of three daughters. Yet the debate of whether or not he is a credible, reliable source lives on. Even if Equiano did create a false childhood in The Interesting Narrative, the effects of what he created were tremendous. There is much more to Equiano than where he was born. Literary critics and historians alike should hail Equiano for the positive effect he had on African history, instead of tearing him apart for using falsehoods to end the slave