The Confessions of Nat Turner by William Styron Book Review

It is often that we see authors using allusions in their stories or changing historical events to fit their writing. The idea of retelling stories has been going on for years and over time as the story gets told multiple times, it can change to the point that it may no longer be true. It’s like the game telephone, where even though one person says something, when the next repeats it some words or ideas might be changed from the original. Artists use these historical events to further prove the point they're trying to make and build an incentive in their audience. Although artists can manipulate history when telling and retelling historical events as a way to gain support for their views, it can cause the story to become exaggerated and fictitious. 

Nat Turner was a slave who was very religious and served as a preacher. In Styron’s Confessions of Nat Turner, Nat’s character does follow a religious path, however the way he is portrayed makes him follow this to an insane extent. This characterization of Nat Turner causes him to come off as a deranged character. His following of God is what led him to set up his rebellion. The book states, “I’ll swear that the Lord came to me in a vision. And the Lord said: Confess, that all the nations may know. Confess, that thy acts may be known to all men” (Styron, 15). The vision he experienced is what pushed him to take the actions he did. It makes it apparent that he is deeply rooted in his beliefs and they motivate his choices. The PBS documentary also discusses the fact that Nat gets portrayed as a crazy lunatic, specifically when looking at his confession. The particular line they point out is “Was Christ not crucified?” because it refers to the death of Jesus and how it served a higher purpose. Nat sees his death the same way, however it makes him seem like he’s accepting of his death. It goes to show that Nat believes in religion to the extent that he is complacent to the circumstances he is now in after his rebellion. It makes it seem like an exaggeration because it is hard to believe that someone is complacent with their death, especially considering that what Nat wanted to get done was fulfilled. He’s not alive to see the impact it has in the future, so while they did take a stand against slave owners the full effect of it isn’t apparent until years later. Both Styron’s book and Source 1 (the timeline) deem Nat as a prophet. In his child years it was known that his life served a purpose, “Others being called on, were greatly astonished, knowing that these things had happened, and caused them to say in my hearing: I surely would be a prophet, as the Lord had shown me things that had happened before my birth. And my mother strengthened me in this my first impression, saying in my presence that I was intended for some great purpose” (Styron, 31). He’s known that he would amount to something great from a young age, which helped to root him in his religious beliefs. The fact that he believed in something so strongly from a young age helps add to the idea that he was crazed about his religion. It also seems a little fictitious that from such a young age he understood this idea because most kids don’t think that way. The depiction of Nat’s religious beliefs in the movie is similar in the sense that he does preach and it sparks his rebellion, however in the way it is depicted there it humanizes him. While he does follow his beliefs it seems more muted and he discusses the life of slaves more than the idea of a rebellion. The ideas of the rebellion are still very present but it’s not to the same extent that he’s portrayed by Styron. This idea seems to follow through into the idea of Nat’s relationships with women. 

The sexuality of Nat Turner also varies in the different depictions of him. Styron’s account oversexualizes Nat by making his lust very apparent and a main character trait of him. One of the ways this is shown is through his relationship with Margaret Whitehead. While at her house Nat is aroused by her, “Concerned as I am with swathing my wound I am nonetheless unable to keep from staring at her erect, graceful, seventeen year old back” (Styron, 337). His arousal with her went so far that he lost focus of the pain he had and focused solely on her. He has inappropriate thoughts about her and this conforms to racial stereotypes. Black men are often stereotyped as lustful and rapacious. Thoughts like those go through Nat’s head multiple times. For example, “The rage I had at that moment to penetrate a woman's flesh - a young white woman now, some slippery tongued brown-headed missy with a sugar-sweet incandescent belly who as I entered her cried out with pain and joy and enveloped me convulsively with milky-white legs and arms - was like a sudden racking spasm or an illness so shattering to the senses that it imposed wonder, and disbelief.” (Styron, 347). Styron is playing off the fear that many people have when considering black men by portraying Nat this way. It makes the book increasingly controversial seeing as Styron is a white male. This oversexualization seems to be an exaggeration and while it is possible that he did have some thoughts like these, it isn’t likely that it was to this extent. Styron feels that the relationship between Nat and Margaret humanizes him, but in reality it makes Nat seem like an animal in heat that can’t control himself. This sexualization of Nat also appears to be fictitious because in Source 1 (the timeline), a partner is never mentioned for Nat, and this is more likely to be true than Styron’s interpretation. Contrary to Styron’s adaptation, the movie, The Birth of a Nation includes a relationship but it is more loving than lustful. In this version Nat is married to another slave, Cherry, and has kids with her. Their relationship isn’t focused on sexual aspects but instead romantic ones. His wife also seems to be a driving force for him as she supports him in his cause. She tells him that he should go through with the rebellion to fight or herself, their kids, and the rest of the slave community. The difference in the portrayal of Nat shows two completely different characters, one who is crazed and obsessed and the other who is humanized. 

While the retellings of historical events can be fictitious and exaggerated, it is important to note that they can also cause inspiration and bring people back into the spotlight. Even though Styron’s book depicts a controversial Nat Turner, it does effectively bring the story of Nat back into the spotlight. This means that people gain an understanding of Nat through Styron’s novel and further research on him. It’s also important to note the time period that this book was published in. The book was published in 1967, which was during the civil rights movement. A book about slavery and the African Americans fight to change their circumstances was inspiring because similar events were occurring in that time. It could be seen as an incentive to keep fighting for their rights. Styron was not the only author who used Nat’s story to build an incentive in people. According to the PBS documentary, Harriet Beecher Stowe used Nat’s story to build support. She wrote the book Dred, in which she based her main character off of Nat. She manipulated his character into a softer one in order to help the cause for the abolition of slavery. Stowe is a name that many people know due to her being an activist. She used his story as an incentive to abolish slavery, which was later successful. This strategy has proved to be effective because it has been successful and Stowe iw well known for her activism in the abolitionist movement. The document goes further to say that Nat can fit into whatever role benefits the author to further their cause. The retelling of Nat’s story can be seen as an incentive for different movements and efficiently brought his story back into the public eye.

Stories have been retold throughout history to teach lessons. The telling of historical events can also go back to the idea that we learn about history in hopes to not repeat it. However, artists often manipulate stories to fit their cause and this can cause issues. As seen by Styron’s telling of Nat Turner’s story, it can cause controversial opinions and debates. Overall, the manipulation of the historical event that happens when retelling a story can cause the story to lose it’s truth. This means that the people aren’t aware of what sections are true and false. Ultimately, this leads to the artists telling of it to come off as fictitious and exaggerated.