Perversion the Social Relation

172 Michael P. Biblerouter world—Richmond perhaps!—with a grand job and a houseand family. It would be hard to describe how much it pleased me tothink of Willis free like myself in the city, the two of us dedicated tospreading God's word among the black people and to honest workin the employ of the white. (207)This new concept of community is small, and Nat wants to form withWillis a more closely knit relationship that develops both men's senses oftheir shared sameness. Nat wants to educate Willis so that Willis will beequally literate, intelligent, and spiritual—a second Nat "like myself,"ready for freedom and ready to branch out to make even more Nats by"spreading God's word among the black people." Then, with this newevangelical army of educated blacks, Nat and Willis will gradually createa new society in which all black people are the same because of theireducation and spiritual training. More importantly, Nat's vision also impliesthat he believes black people will finally be free in this new societybecause their new identity as intelligent and capable beings will proveto whites, as he hopes it would prove to "Marse Samuel," that slaveryactually is unjust and illogical.However, Nat's plan here is obviously flawed because it depends entirelyon white benevolence. It tries to situate a larger version of homorelationality—onethat is evangelical instead of privately sexual—withina slave society whose hierarchies of social differences and dominationhave been left intact. He attempts to reconcile a Christian demand forunity and sameness with a liberal model of political community in whichthe umbrella of citizenship still allows for social differences. This flawin his thinking immediately becomes apparent in the events followingthe baptism. When Turner sells Willis to help pay off some debts, Natpainfully realizes that education, faith, and trust will never win freedomfor any black. Freedom will never work as long as whites remain in thedominant position and can decide at whim whether or not a black personis actually qualified to live as a complete human being. Even freedomafter manumission is not a true freedom because whites will stillset the terms that define black identity, and blacks will still remain subordinateto them—"free in the city" but still having to work "in the honestemploy of the white." Christian evangelism by itself would fail tochange anything, even if Nat were able to convert as many people aspossible, for instead of being set free into "another land," his converts