ANANSI

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THEMES
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 Slavery

 Cultural preservation

 Courage and perseverance

 The Role of Women

 Childhood Experiences

 Power, prejudice, alienation, greed and violence

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 Freedom, dreams , aspirations and fantasy versus reality,

growth and manipulation

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Slavery

 The allegory suggest that the play is Campbell’s way of

highlighting the ills of Slavery. The play depicts the harsh

inhumane treatment meted out to the African slaves taken from

their homes to be sold on the other side of the world. The slaves

are treated as livestock and property that are dispensable.

 The play was set onboard a slave ship. A first hand glimpse into

what the journey through the middle passage involved.

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Cultural Preservation
 The Africans kept their culture alive on the journey by telling
the Anansi stories. To this day, these stories are popular around
the world, particularly in the Caribbean, where many West
African slaves were taken. It is important to note that the oral
tradition of storytelling is passed on from generation to
generation. The stories are kept alive and holds significance to
the African culture.
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Courage and Perservance
 Although a very cunning character, Anansi possessed a great amount
of courage and perseverance. Similarly, that can be said about the
girl and the thousands of other slaves who survived the journey to
Kingston Harbor. The ’Anansi stories’ was the avenue through which
they were able to cope with the pains and strains of the long
journey. The stories gave them strength and hope to mask their
many harsh life trials and tribulations.
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 The Role of Women
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Childhood Experiences
 Both Boy and Girl are confronted with new and challenging

experiences in their innocence. They are also forced to come to

terms with the harsh realities of the ship. While Boy questions his

father, (the Captain) about the bad treatment of the slaves, Girl

questions Woman about her hopeless circumstances as a slave On

the other hand, while Boy's compassionate pleas go unanswered,

Girl finds hope through the old Woman's wisdom. Both Boy and Girl

experience changes on board the ship. By the end of the

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scenes on the ship, Girl observes Boy; he sees what we imagine and

as the sailor unties the Woman after he discovers that she is sick, the

Boy crumples in distracting agony. Furthermore, when the Woman is

dragged away, Boy tells Girl, ‘You mustn't cry.’ He has come to

empathize with her and understand the cruelty in her world. Similarly,

Girl finds strength by the end of the play. In the Kingston Harbour

scene, when the Girl is being auctioned she says. ‘I want to die but I

won't. Her reality is altered as she is in the Forest of Stories finding

solace and hope with her imagined hero, Anansi.

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Power, prejudice, alienation, greed and violence
 On board The Good Ship Hope', we see an oppressive, violent

Captain and father who does not entertain any questions from

his compassionate son. A hierarchy is established as the

Captain tells Boy, that the "masters in London" would not be

pleased if they lose too much cargo. When Boy writes in his

diary, "a man was thrown away," the Captain is furious and

tells Boy that "every man has a place on the ship and you'll

learn yours if I have to break your back.” The

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 Captain reinforces that the only thing worth writing about

the slaves is, "money makes the world go around. "When

the ship is about to dock in Jamaica and the sick slaves are

thrown overboard, the Captain heartlessly says, "My

conscience is clear. I am doing no more than a good farmer

to protect the best beasts in the heard." In addition, we

also see dehumanizing images of the slaves in the Hole'

when the Sailor comments, "it stinks like Death's own

backyard." Further alienation ensues when the Boy tells the

Sailor that he saw a Girl down in the Hole, the Sailor

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tells him, “You think too much and some thoughts are plain

dangerous.” Later on when Boy sees Girl crying and attempts to

console her, he is further alienated by the stories that inspire her

as she rattles, "Yesterday this time me am yurn Tiger fat.”

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 Freedom, dreams, aspirations and fantasy versus reality,

growth and manipulation

 In the play there is a very thin line between the world of

fantasy and reality. While the slave ship experience is real

to the characters and audience, the playwright forms an

easy transition between the harsh reality of the 'slave ship

experience’ and the haven of the forest of stories. Even

though Girl is enslaved, she is encouraged metaphorically

to see the light in the 'crack in the ceiling’ of the ship. She

finds freedom in the pictures in her mind. These

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pictures tell the tales of the brave Anansi and how he is able

to trick the strongest and meanest of characters in the forest.

Girl is encouraged "to weave" her "web like a dream in the

dark", just like Anansi. After Woman is taken away, Girl

learns to survive by spinning webs in her own imagination.

Woman further empowers Girl by telling her "to live well and

die well" .Thus, at the auction she liberates herself by saying

‘Once upon a time’, beginning her own story.