The development of democracy as seen through the Novel
Through out the history of the United States, great changes have occurred socially, economically and politically. These changes have had a great impact o the way the country itself is governed, and have thus been reflected in every aspect of the American life. It is no surprise than, that we discover these changes, and the ever- changing definition of democracy shifting slowly into our literature, specifically into the novels that were being written during some of the most important times during American history. Some great examples of this during early American literature are seen in Moby-Dick, Uncle Tom’s Cabin and The Coquette. I will also examine Tom Piazza’s City of Refuge, which provides a great example of the monumental changes that have occurred in the American perception of democracy over time.
In the first days of the American democracy, it seemed that the true laws really did come from the people. Farmers, lawyers, scientists, soldiers, and merchants were among those who signed the Constitution; none among the group would be considered a “career politician”. While today’s existence of career politicians is not necessarily a negative (while I believe it to be a negative, the point is arguable), it certainly seems different from a time in which the people seemed to write the law of the land. The Coquette is in many ways a novel about youth, and seems to allude to the youth of a country finding itself in the midst of many difficult decisions. While Hannah Webster Foster does not present the audience with an especially young character in Eliza Wharton, she does exhibit many features of youth. In that way we see the struggles of youth, and it seems to be some comment by Foster on the issues that can present itself when youth exists in a country like the United States. In my mind, that is not the most important political statement made through reading this novel today. I found that the fact that seduction novels existed and were so popular to be interesting, that they could have an impact on the public in ways that do not seem to occur today. While we certainly tell stories that are supposed to impact the morals of individuals (in TV, movies, and books alike), it seems that it is done in earnest in this novel. It is fascinating the political impact works like this could have in a young country. The government was young and in many ways our Constitution was still being formed, and a great change in the minds of the people could certainly result in a great change politically in our country. This trend seems to continue in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin.
In Stowe’s work, the audience sees the issue of slavery being discussed by nearly every character (which is not surprising considering slavery touched the lives of every character in the novel), but I do believe the way this novel was handled shows in many ways the ever-changing nature of democracy. In my mind, this change was most emphasized in Stowe’s novel was the increase in household influence of females. While the country was still 70 years from allowing women the right to vote, the reader can see the development of the influence that wives can have on their husbands in regards to various political issues. One such man is Senator Bird, whose wife Mary Bird reveals both the development of female influence and the importance of the issue of slavery. While Mary is not normally someone who would speak out, she finds slavery important; “there was only one thing that was capable of arousing her…anything in the shape of cruelty would throw her into a passion” (Stowe 68). The fact that an issue came up in America that got everyone in the household involved in these discussions greatly changed the discourse of our Nation and the way in which similar issues would be handled in the future.
In my mind, Moby Dick can be seen as a cautionary tale in many ways, but even applying to democracy. It was written at a time that the United States was preparing to set sail through some difficult waters, a Civil War was brewing and it was important to look towards leaders that would have the best interest of the country in mind. Melville shows the dangers of putting a man like Captain Ahab in charge, someone with tunnel vision that does not appreciate the repercussions of his own decisions. In this way we see the Novel attempting to take advantage of the democracy, of the power given to the people to choose a leader, a power not given to the men aboard the ship chasing after Moby Dick. Had these men been given the power of a democratic leadership structure it is quite unlikely that they would have chosen to tie themselves down with a leader that seemed hell-bent on leading to their destruction.
First and foremost, Hurricane Katrina was a tragic natural disaster. Everything following was an example of the great weaknesses of government, specifically downfalls in the United States government. The most clear, immediate issues were the problems with the speed of response to Hurricane Katrina. The government at state, local, and national levels and FEMA were notably slow and disorganized in their response and their attempts to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina and the flooding in New Orleans. Piazza was not afraid to touch briefly on this issue, and seeing this issue emphasized in the novel shows the importance it has begun to play in American history. Since Vietnam, there has been a distinct lack of trust in the United States government by it’s own citizens. While this is by no means surprising, it does seem to be a somewhat recent change. Social discussions no longer seem to shape political discourse like they did in the time of Stowe, rather there seems to be a break off between the people and the government. When considering Hurricane Katrina, one might think of rapper Kayne West claiming that “George Bush doesn’t care about Black people,” suggesting that the government response to Hurricane Katrina was in some way racially motivated.
Piazza gives much attention to this break off, this extreme distrust in all levels of government and the great impact that it had on the public perception of Hurricane Katrina. SJ connected with a woman that had conspiracy theories about the true reasons for flooding, “she asked if he thought they had dynamited the levees, as some black residents of the Lower Nine were claiming” (Piazza 277). It seems that the only reason SJ does not fall into this is because one of the City Councilmen was “a son of the Nine” (Piazza 278). This seems to show a break-off from the time in which our democracy, our governments were ran by people that the public could trust, because they were perceived as a part of that public. Piazza reveals a schism that has developed between those that run our country and those that live in our country. Whether this schism exists in reality or not is in many ways irrelevant, as the perception itself is strong enough to be detrimental. Piazza reveals this dangerous break-off to his readers.