Finial paper

Equiano is looking to appeal to a large, white, British audience within his narrative. He does this by maintaining a certain distance from the text as well as appealing to certain natures of his audiences’ lives and connections he has with them.  One of the main connections he draws between himself and the white people is religion, Christianity. Christianity plays a large part within the historical time line as well as Equiano’s personal growth within his narrative. He comes to frame himself as a sort of modern day prophet, a chosen one of God. He uses the shared religion to show he is on the same side as those he appeals to. Some would argue that Equiano’s religion develops and changes from a nature centric religion to Christianity because of his hardships and experiences as a slave; that God and his image of heaven saved him from his tragedy. I will argue against this, showing that Equiano’s religion changes and develops as he encounters new people and places; it is the people and places that change him rather than his own tragedy. I will carry the reader through Equiano’s religious transformations from a youthful magic to a mature understanding of God.
Equiano starts his narrative where his life started, in Africa “ in a charming fruitful vale, named Essaka.”(p.35). His religion, like his life, revolved around the land with ceremonies and dance. His was a religion full of good and evil spirits, without office or a place of worship. “…The natives believe that there is one Creator of all things, and that he lives in the sun, and is girted round with a belt; that he may never eat or drink, but, according to some, he smokes a pipe.” (p.41). Here Equiano had a sense of nature, life and death but no concept of eternity or the Christian after life. Without an idea of a heaven or judgment day, Equiano lived his life from moment to moment seeing the magic of life everywhere. His religion soon changes when he is kidnapped and whisked away to whole new worlds.
“As the waves were very high, I thought the Ruler of the seas was angry.”(p.62). Equiano’s youthful sense of magic and spirits is maintained through the beginning parts of his travels as a slave. It clearly comes out in a scene on a trade ship when, after someone falls overboard, the wind stops as well as the boat. “ I believed them to be the rulers of the sea; and as the white people did not make any offering at anytime, I though they were angry with them; and, at last, what confirmed my belief was, the wind just died away, and a calm ensued, and in consequence of it the ship stopped going. I supposed the fish had preformed this, and I hid myself in the fore part of the ship, through fear of being offered up to appease them, every minute peeping out and quaking.” (p.62). Here is another example of where Equiano comes from, a clear example of his understanding of Divinity and the powers of the gods.
The first turning point for Equiano’s religion comes soon after while aboard the same ship. Here Equiano encounters the idea of the Christian God for the first time with his experience of snow. “I then asked him what it was; he told me it was snow, but I could not in anywise understand him. He asked me, if we had such a thing in my country; I told him, No. I then asked him the use of it and who made it; He told me a great man in the heavens named God.”(p.63). This is the first time Equiano hears mention of God. God appears in Equiano’s life not as a savior or as a protector for him and the other slaves, but instead He appears as a creator. The whole scene is calm, gentle and beautiful not harsh or tragic.
After this event Equiano goes to church where he is “ Amazed at seeing and hearing the service.” (p.64). Thinking the whites happier then the African people of his home. He sees God and the white people who preach Him full of wisdom. He sees Christianity as a religion of its people; full of its people- people he aspired to be like. This wanting to be like the white people comes out clearly through the text as a connection Equiano has to his audience. He uses the shared religion to his advantage as he trundles on towards his goal.
Equiano follows this new God, this new religion; into England where he is baptized for fear he might not go to heaven. Here we see a real change from the young boy who believed in spirits to a man who is converting to Christianity. A decision based on sin and afterlife, but mostly because someone told him that he couldn’t good to heaven unless he was baptized first. Equiano is so easily influenced by the people around him, that when someone tells him to convert for his eternal soul he does it. The places he went to, lived in changed and so did he. The people he meets show him God and Heaven changing him along the way.
Two important people or teachers as I will call them, come into Equiano’s life at this time, The Miss Guernins. They play a great role in Equiano’s religious transformation as well as his schooling. These lovely women not only send Equiano to school to help him improve himself but also stand by him at his baptism as Godmother. These women bring a full picture of God and the kingdom of heaven to Equiano’s attention.  “… [They] Took great pains to instruct me in the principles of religion and the knowledge of God.” (p. 125). The Guernins are Equiano’s first religious teachers.
From here he is taken to, yet again, many new places. The seeds of feelings for God as a protector and Savior start to grow and flourish. We see Equiano encounter near death situations time and time again. Every time he comes out alive. A sense of being special or God’s chosen one starts filling the spaces in his narrative.
Equiano is one day “ directed” by God to the house of an old sea-faring man who expands Equiano’s knowledge of God; particularly considering the afterlife.  After their discourse the man invites Equiano to a love-feast that night, which Equiano is happy to accept and attend. “There were many ministers in the company. At last they began by giving out hymns, and between singing, the ministers engaged in prayer.”  (p.154). Equiano is readily engaged into this almost gospel experience of learning what God means to others. A layering of personal experiences, the gospels and singing.  The whole experience inspires his love and trust in God, vastly expanding his religious outlooks. “The last twenty-four hours produced in me things, spiritual and temporal, sleeping and waking, judgment and mercy, that I could not but admire the goodness of God, in directing the blind, blasphemous sinner in the path he knew not of, even among the just…” (p.155). This seafarer brings Equiano to an experience that shows, teaches and changes his religious outlook, expanding yet again his Christianity.
Two others that help Equiano’s faith expansion are Mr. G—— a local reverend, and Mr. L——– a friend of Equiano’s who was a chapel clerk. These two bring clarifying ideas of redemption and salvation to Equiano’s life as well as an encouragement to read the Bible. Equiano who has been obsessed with his eternal soul and heaven since his baptism jumps to learn more of what he can do to save himself. It is interesting to note that Equiano is always trying to save himself and his eternal soul for all his wrong doings i.e. swearing and breaking the Sabbath, while suffering through the hardships and tragedies of being a slave. With the encouragement of Mr. G—— and Mr. L——– Equiano starts reading the Bible expanding once again his understanding of Christianity.
As Equiano travels either by his own will or by force, he experiences new religions along with new people and places. He moves from a young boy who sees the spirits of everything everywhere to a man full faith for a Christian God. The people such as the Miss. Guernins and the seafarer help Equiano discover Christianity as a religion and community. With the additional help of Mr. G—– and Mr. L—– Equiano’s knowledge of what it means to have faith in God and Heaven expands. He also learns more of the meaning of his eternal soul and what it takes to save himself. Christianity comes to Equiano in a beautiful fashion and is expanded by decent influential people throughout his narrative. Christianity becomes a major part of Equiano’s life as well as his connection to his readers. “ What does it avail a man to gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (p.174). These words bother Equiano towards the end of his narrative fore he is worried that he will lose his soul. Though I would propose that by traveling and experiencing the world he found he has found Christianity and therefore his soul.

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