Cara answers “Does anyone like that the author wrote the...”

Barbara asked this question about The Underground Railroad:

Does anyone like that the author wrote the railroad as a physical, operating one? I felt it unnecessary and beyond the scope of possibility.

Cara This is a work of fiction, not historical fiction. North and South Carolina didn't have the political structure described in the book. Whitehead is us…moreThis is a work of fiction, not historical fiction. North and South Carolina didn't have the political structure described in the book. Whitehead is using the story of Cora's escape to get at the multitude of ways that blacks, in particular, have been dehumanized and mistreated by whites throughout the history of this country. A literal railroad is a literal representation of the darkness of the American journey for blacks and other people of color who were dispossessed and abused. One of the white characters (Lumbley?) speaks of how you can really only see American by train, but, as a white person, he has the freedom to travel without fear, with the opportunity to look out at the passing scenery and see America in all its glory and potential. As an enslaved woman who, even after escaping from her owner, is never really free, Cora can't see all of that. It is only at the end, as she finally has a chance to truly be free (or as free as a black woman could be) that she can travel above ground.

Another reviewer also pointed out that the mystery of who built the literal railroad, without the knowledge and under the feet of the white majority keeping slaves in bondage, is a powerful metaphor of how much slaves did for America, and how much of it is hidden.

When I started the novel, I didn't understand why the railroad was literal, but I get it now (or, it's more accurate to say, I get at least a portion of what Whitehead intended).(less)

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Leslie Jackson I’m only halfway through right now and I needed this insight. Thank you!!
Feb 23, 2018 07:18PM · flag

John Dishwasher John Dishwasher I think you nailed it. I knew it was symbolic but couldn't figure out what it meant. Thanks. ...more
Jul 28, 2019 06:48PM · flag

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The Underground Railroad

by Colson Whitehead (Goodreads Author)

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