Chesnutt completely subverts the reader’s expectations at the end of “The Passing of Grandison” with the revelation of Grandison’s grand escape. There are some details in the story that lead me to think that Chesnutt had Uncle Tom’s Cabin in the back of his mind as he was writing it:
- Tom: the enslaved man whom Dick originally planned to go North with.
- Grandison the “loyal slave”: the fidelity of Grandison throughout certainly reminds me of Stowe’s Uncle Tom.
- The title: “Passing” suggests that Grandison dies, as Uncle Tom does in Stowe’s novel. However, by the end, it is revealed that “passing” refers to Grandison’s grand successful crossing of Lake Erie to Canada, thus flipping the script.
Throughout the story, we get glimpses of racially prejudiced views from the characters, and these are guised in a manner that a person who’s racist/supported slavery couldn’t tell that Chesnutt is actually being satirical.
He did not even scold Grandison; how could he, indeed, find fault with one who so sensibly recognized his true place in the economy of civilization, and kept it with such touching fidelity?
(Chesnutt, “The Passing of Grandison” Chapter III)
The story masks itself as a pro-slavery text to anyone who isn’t familiar with Chesnutt and his other works, which makes the twist at the end even more fun. I like to imagine Chesnutt just giggling to himself as he was writing these stories at the thought of some old former slaveholder in 1899 (who was, of course, no longer able to own people, but still held on to their racist views) reading and agreeing with these thoughts and then being completely flabbergasted at the end.
Also, I thought this detail was interesting:
Mr. Johnson, the shoemaker’s brother, welcomed uncle Wellington to Groveland, and listened with eager delight to the news of the old town, from which he himself had run away many years before, and followed the North Star to Groveland.
(Chesnutt, “The Passing of Grandison”, Chapter II)
The North Star, which was the symbol of freedom among enslaved people (also Douglass’ The North Star newspaper), leads to Groveland, the land of slaveholders in the south.
I think this is a super interesting connection between the Passing of Grandison and Uncle Tom’s Cabin. I also really enjoyed the twist ending and thought it was really fun that it came off as almost pro-slavery at first but twists it all around at the end.
Hi Anh!
I really enjoyed the parallels you found between Tom in Uncle Tom’s Cabin and “The Passing of Grandison.” I was struck by the lack of consideration that Dick gives for choosing Tom as the man he would take North. He does not speak of his decision as being for the betterment of Tom but states, “we’ve got too many anyway” (85). When Garrison is advised to go instead of Tom, Dick does not seem affected. In Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Shelby justifies his decision to sell Tom, who he has known his whole life, for monetary purposes. Though neither Shelby nor Dick are notably aggressive their apathy is striking.