Of One Blood: Race Lost in Melodrama

Of One Blood, while being a story focused around a utopia, is first and foremost a melodrama.  The story has a hero (Reuel), a heroine (Dianthe), a comic character (Charlie), and a villain (Aubrey).  The story is fraught with romantic intentions upon a female character who is lost, innocent, and doe-eyed.  The unhappy ending seems entirely avoidable, making it all the more tragic.  Despite the sad ending, poetic justice is achieved through Reuel’s orders.

The novel also contains the three P’s of melodrama: 1. Provocation, Reuel, after bringing Dianthe back from the grave, wishes to marry her and therefore leaves to Africa in search of wealth; 2. Pangs, While Reuel is away, Dianthe succumbs to Aubrey’s wishes despite that she is married; and 3. Penalty, Aubrey kills himself as a punishment for his crimes due to a spell cast by Ai.

Once all the elements of melodrama are in place, the story is at liberties to work them to the extreme.  Added to the tense romance triangle between Reuel, Dianthe, and Aubrey is the element of race. (“Livingston sipped his wine quietly, intently watching Reuel’s face. Now he leaned across the table and stretched out his hand to Briggs; his eyes looked full into his.  As their hands met in a close clasp, he whispered a sentence across the board.  Reuel started, uttered an exclamation and flushed slowly a dark, dull red.  //  ‘How—where—how did you know it?’ he stammered.  //  ‘I have known it since first we met; but the secret is safe with me.’” pg. 44, implies that Reuel has African blood.)  (“‘They range from alabaster to ebony,’ replied Livingston.  ‘The results of amalgamation are worthy of careful attention of all medical experts.’” pg. 12, makes known that all performers in the concert have some strain of African blood in them.)  (“‘I have said it.  Dianthe Lusk is your own sister, the half-sister of Aubrey Livingston, who is your half-brother.’”  pg. 163, stating plainly that Aubrey has African blood in him.)  Reuel and Dianthe, who easily pass as being white, struggle with the inner turmoil of hiding what they are while maintaining the level of privilege they have become accustomed to.  Aubrey, however, remains unaware of his origins.

As important as the element of race is for the goal of the book, I feel that it has been buried beneath the other conflicts and thereby ineffective.  While Reuel is concerned about being discovered, that concern is brushed aside as he leaves his love behind to go to Africa.  Dianthe, upon being told of her own identity, must struggle against the advances of Aubrey, though at length she fails.  Aubrey himself falls deeper and deeper into madness.  Though Reuel eventually becomes king in a utopian community, that power is pushed aside for the chance to take vengeance on Aubrey for his actions.

The issue of race seems to only be discussed while Reuel is in his utopia.  He and Ai have a conversation about how dark skin removes privileges in the United States, which is later followed by a like conversation between Ai and Charlie.  Charlie realizes that although Jim is black, he feels a sense of brotherhood between them.  (Ironically, he doesn’t realize this until Jim is dying.)  

Although the book makes a few attempts to point out the futility of trying to separate one blood line from the next, any effectiveness is lost through the swamp of trauma and uncertainty.  The characters don’t spend time considering race as they are too busy contending with the troubles of their own lives.  The matter of race is lost.

Questions:

1. The above, of course, is only my opinion. Does the issue of race come across strongly for you? At which points is the issue most prominent?
2.  Consider Charlie as the comedic character of this melodrama. Does he suit his purpose well? Does his eventual growth in the story erase his humor?