Critiquing Imperialism And Racial Stereotypes In Victorian Literature: The MoonStone And Speckled Band

Discussion

To what extent do victorian texts provide a critique of imperialism and racial stereotypes? discuss in relation to The MoonStone by Wilkie Collins and The Adventure of Speckled Band by Arthur Conan Doyle.

Imperialism is considered as the policy, which defines the extending rule of an empire or over a country. The policy is associated with the influence through immigration of the professions like doctors or military forces. The imperialism can create the linking between the uneven human and the territories. It is to be noted that the racial stereotype is mainly known as the public belief regarding a group of the people or an individual, which provides the judgment about the subject. The study will be evaluating the discussion regarding the critiques of imperialism and racial stereotypes provided in the Victorian texts. The Moon Stone by Wilkie Collins and The Adventure of Speckled Band by Arthur Conan are taken as the examples of such Victorian texts where the comparison and investigation will be applied. The representation of gender, class, sexuality, and race will be collaboratively associated in this study.

The critiques regarding the imperialism and racial stereotype have been justified in the two Victorian texts. The first one is The Moon Stone by Wilkie Collins, which represents the critical analysis regarding the underpinned critiques. A little English Lady, Rachael Verinder received a big Indian Diamond on her 18^th birthday as the gift from her uncle. Her uncle was a dishonest officer in British Army and he served India for several consecutive years. In order to secure the precious diamond, three Hindu Ministers devoted their lives. On her birthday evening, she wore the Moonstone Diamond, which was stolen from her bedroom at night. Three Indian jugglers were invited on her birthday party. Rachael was quite suspicious and furious at Frankline Blake who was directed to find the diamond. A famous detective Sergeant Cliff investigated the matter to find the culprit behind such actions. The investigation regarding such matter revealed the mystery that Ablewhite was the person who pocketed the stone. However, at the end of the novel, it was found that the Moonstone was put in a secure place in India. It was even supposed to be in India and the end of the novel the delivery of the diamond became most justified.

The second text is based on piece of work by Arthur Canon Doyle and the name of the text is The Adventure of the Speckled Band. In this particular novel, the life of a youthful woman named Helen has been portrayed. It has been seen that Helen was into several traumatized situation by thinking that her life can be spoiled by her step father. Sir Grimesby Roylott, the step father of Helen, was a doctor. He spent most of his working life in India and got married to Helen’s mother. Helen lost her elder sister just two years later of her mother’s marriage. It is to be indicated that the Grimesby Roylott used to keep the different corporation at the estate and used to keep baboon and cheetah as his pets and his strange attitude used to make people more suspicious about him. Helen appointed two detectives; Holmes and Watson to identify the exact scenario caused the traumatised situation for Helen. They spend the whole night at Helen’s room where they heard a clanging noise along with a soft light through the ventilator. The action made the detectives take the serious action and they lighted the candle. Finally, they could discover that there was a poisonous snake named “Speckled Band”. When one of the detectives hit the snake, it attacked Roylott, who sent it to kill his step daughter, Helen.

The MoonStone by Wilkie Collins

The writer, in his first story, focuses on the policy related to the imperialism in respective of Rachel’s’ uncle. Her uncle is a criminal who forcefully gains illegal access to the Indian Diamond. Since the past few years, it has been observed that it is the normal tendency of the people in higher hierarchy to access the economy of America. The change in the mentality of the American citizens has been the main reason behind the world’s fair of America. This situation results in the increment of the racial exploration at the host country. It also results in the formation of a new empire in the long run.

The second story depicts about a crime scene where a doctor tried to remove his stepdaughters, reflecting on his materialistic and greedy nature. In the story, Roylott is a doctor who has served for several years in India. As mentioned in the will of his wife, the daughters would be getting the shared amount of her property if they were married. The doctor, thinking of it as an opportunity, tried to kill his daughters in order to get the entire property of his wife. Thus, through the story, the author helps in creating a sense of imperialism within the family where the father is eager to kill his daughters for the sake of money. Through this story, the author is able to explain the mentality and stereotypic status of an individual who is determining the competitions with his family with the money.

The analysis of the imperialism in these two texts, the discussion of imperialism and racial stereotype have been justified. In discussing the first text, The Moonstone, the argument is based on the justification of using the imperialism. It is to be indicated that Collins has provided the implication of an imperialist context with the presentation of epilogue and prologue. The types are reflecting the structured used in the novel in Colonial India. It has been seen that the novel deals with more anti-imperialist context rather than being pro-imperialist. In explaining more specifically, it can be stated that the novel is mainly depending on several suppositions related to the imperialism. At the very beginning of the novel, the Indian culture was introduced as stereotypes and was respected for the strengthened implication of the religious convictions. The novel has highlighted the maintenance of efficiency and tenacity in reclaiming the diamond. However, the novel is associated with several characters like Miss Clack and Betteredge who presented the distrustful sentiments were often taken as the racists. They provide the initial conceptions about the Indians as being untrustworthy and dangerous. However, the justifications of the imperialism are also concentrating on the territories outside England. The conquered and domesticated outside territories were considered as dangerous and exotic. In keeping the concentration on this particular novel, it has been seen that the precious diamond was firstly stolen by an Englishman and finally again another English man stole the diamond. Hence, Collins subverted the imperialism expectations, which was highlighting the behavioural diversifications with non-English people.

The Adventure of Speckled Band by Arthur Conan Doyle

The second Victorian text defines the imperialism in different ways. In the short story, The Adventure of Speckled Band, Arthur Conan Doyle has been struggling with liberal imperialism and this is operated on different interconnected levels. As the traditional man in the Victorian imperialism, Arthur Doyle relished the outbursts of odds presented in the nineteenth century “manliness”. On the other hand, it has been seen that Doyle has promoted the ideal of English race against the European race and this presents the discriminations of ‘colour’. Even though he was the Irishman in the Middle English Society, he provided his centralized and provincial idealistic nature. It is to be indicated that the ideologists in the nineteenth century, the Victorian adventurous stories are revolving around guilt, colonial, and women on the marriage market. Moreover, in keeping the concentration on the Marxist literary theory, it has been seen that the writers are maintaining the social class and other underpinned contexts. The story is focusing on the helplessness of both women and children in a society where the legal powers have been provided to the adult males. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle considered himself as the knight who behaved firmly in presenting the concept of Chivalry.

The Adventure of the Speckled Band is a gothic tale, which includes several specified twists. The traditional gothic tropes are presenting the veil of a male protagonist and an evil antagonist. The study includes the association of the female heroin and other assassin scenarios. The twisted features raised against the superstitious tropes are showing the gothic traditional novel. The liberal use of traditional gothic is presenting the utilization of the imperialism in the nineteenth century adventurous stories. The representation of the male dominated society has been reflecting through the text is associated with the torturous and murder sequences more specifically. Arthur represented the apparent use of the supernatural consequences to relish the gothic mood of oppression. The description of Dr. Roylott along with his physical appearance was presenting reflection of an evil. Corrina Wagner mentioned in her essay, “The dream of a Transparent Body: Identity, Science and the gothic novel”. In accordance with such comment, the presentation of Roylott’s personality has been prominent in this short story.

Conclusion

It is to be indicated that the use of the stereotype is quite insensitive and inappropriate. The utilization of stereotype can lead the characters having mental or physical harassments. The study includes the justification of imperialism and racial stereotypes by analysing the texts in the Victorian age. The first novel, The Moonstone written by Wilkie Collins is presenting the imperialistic behaviour foreseen in the society. The precious diamond was stolen by a British man while at the end of the novel again it was stolen by the English man and placed to the relevant place. The second story is The Adventure of Speckled Band written by Arthur Canon Doyle and the story is representing the male dominated society in the nineteenth century. Both pieces of work have been providing the initial idea about the imperialism and the nature against race, class, sexuality and gender. Therefore, the justification of the subject matter has been properly mentioned in this study.

Critique of Imperialism and Racial Stereotypes in the Texts

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