Dispossessed Lives Literary Analysis Essay

In the second chapter Dispossessed Lives, “Rachael and Joanna,” Fuentes argues against the mainstream historical narratives surrounding the agency of free(d) black women; that is, while they commodified black bodies, the racial, gendered, and sexual hierarchies that dictated society confined their economic opportunities.

Fuentes introduces Rachael Polgreen, a former enslaved black woman turned brothel owner and brings into question the true nature of her agency within the limitations of her status. Key to Polgreen’s success in Bridgetown was her sexual commodification of black women. With the presence of the Royal Navy came the demand for an informal sexual economy in Barbados. As a brothel runner, Polgreen used enslaved women’s sexuality as a means of “tapping into the power of others [white men] to gain material privileges” (Fuentes, 68). Her agency “depended on the subjugation of others,” however, her place in society as a black woman “confined her to a particular economic function” (Fuentes, 62). 

In the second chapter Dispossessed Lives, “Rachael and Joanna,” Fuentes argues against the mainstream historical narratives surrounding the agency of free(d) black women; that is, while they commodified black bodies, the racial, gendered, and sexual hierarchies that dictated society confined their economic opportunities.

Fuentes introduces Rachael Polgreen, a former enslaved black woman turned brothel owner and brings into question the true nature of her agency within the limitations of her status. Key to Polgreen’s success in Bridgetown was her sexual commodification of black women. With the presence of the Royal Navy came the demand for an informal sexual economy in Barbados. As a brothel runner, Polgreen used enslaved women’s sexuality as a means of “tapping into the power of others [white men] to gain material privileges” (Fuentes, 68). Her agency “depended on the subjugation of others,” however, her place in society as a black woman “confined her to a particular economic function” (Fuentes, 62). 

Within the archival reading, Fuentes includes an interview that describes Polgreen almost beating an enslaved woman to death. This event not only illuminates the intra-racial and gendered dynamics of the time but the way in which the system of slavery in place granted Polgreen “the power to enact violence on the bodies of those she enslaved” (Fuentes, 61). Moreover, Fuentes argues that this act of brutality suggests more about the proprietary value of enslaved women; Polgreen was dependent on these women’s sexual labor for her own survival. Additionally, Fuentes questions the secondary historical accounts of Polgreen, such as Orderson’s Creoleana, which erase the complexities of her personhood. Narratives that frame Polgreen as a successful businesswoman not only fail to critically question the system in which she operated, but also obscure the true nature of her violence and exploitative relationships with the enslaved women of Bridgetown. Consequently, Fuentes brings to light the intricacies of Polgreens personhood, how it was shaped by the structures that bound her opportunities, and how it continues to exist in the historical narrative at present. 

In conclusion, Fuentes’s close analysis of Polgreen’s archival presence allows for a wider understanding of free(d) black women’s positionality in eighteenth-century slave societies. Polgreen was a unique example of the colored elite, and how their place amongst white people was determined by their willingness and ability to align themselves with the systems of slavery. By imagining the concept of agency in relation to resistance, Fuentes explains that Polgreen’s “‘economic and social power — her modes of agency,’ were produced by the system of slavery in place and were not harnessed by her in an effort to subvert that system” (68). That is, the existence of white supremacy and the commodification of enslaved black women’s sexuality made possible Polgreen’s opportunities to exercise agency.  In recognizing the existence of Polgreen’s power, while challenging the ways in which the historical narrative frames it, Fuentes describes the ways in which free(d) black women’s agency existed within the constraints of the slave system. 

In conclusion, Fuentes’s close analysis of Polgreen’s archival presence allows for a wider understanding of free(d) black women’s positionality in eighteenth-century slave societies. Polgreen was a unique example of the colored elite, and how their place amongst white people was determined by their willingness and ability to align themselves with the systems of slavery. By imagining the concept of agency in relation to resistance, Fuentes explains that Polgreen’s “‘economic and social power — her modes of agency,’ were produced by the system of slavery in place and were not harnessed by her in an effort to subvert that system” (68). That is, the existence of white supremacy and the commodification of enslaved black women’s sexuality made possible Polgreen’s opportunities to exercise agency.  In recognizing the existence of Polgreen’s power, while challenging the ways in which the historical narrative frames it, Fuentes describes the ways in which free(d) black women’s agency existed within the constraints of the slave system.