Più di uno schiavo: The Moor's Account di Laila Lalami e la schiavitù

Starting from the end of the fifteenth century, Portugal and Spain become the first colonial empires establishing their power on the colonies in the Americas, motivated by geographical explorations and trade. Nonetheless, the main phenomenon that lies under the label of commercial grounds is the exploitation of slavery. The most reliable and accurate testimonies concerning this latter phenomenon showing the actual situation from the perspective of the exploited people, are the slave narratives developed subsequently in the 18th and 19th century, which thanks to the narration in the first person provide a more detailed understanding of the events. The subject of analysis for this dissertation is a more contemporary text, which shares some features of the slave narratives, for instance the issue of slavery, but which is not included in the same category given that it is a rewriting and it is a very recent text. The text in question is the contemporary novel The Moor's Account by Laila Lalami, winner of the American Book Award, published in 2014. The novel is based on the Narvaez's expedition of 1527, and the most innovative aspect of the novel lies in the invention by the author of the main character, the first African slave arrived to the colony of Florida, Mustafa ibn Muhammad ibn Abdussalamal-Zamori, who is the storyteller of the expedition and who provides his personal account of the events. The aim of this thesis is to analyze the issue of slavery focusing on Mustafa, the main character and narrating voice of the novel. His personality and subsequently his story along with the different stages of the expedition are the main subjects of analysis. Especially, it will be analyzed his role of slave and the monetary economy of the society surrounding him represented by the author. In chapter one, firstly I will provide some information about the literary genre the novel belongs to, with references to some post-colonial scholars such as Bill Ashcroft, Gareth Griffiths, Helen Tiffin and Brian T. Edwards. I will try to explain the work done by the author to create what appears to be a perfectly smooth narration, the information she needed to build it properly historically and the work of invention of the whole personality of Mustafa. Then I will focus on the main events of Mustafa's life before becoming a slave, starting from his early age up to the point in which he enters in the world of slavery. I will show how early the concept of money and profit came into the Mustafa's life and I will analyze the most important passages concerning his growing interest towards trade, the changes in his behavior owing to this interest and the kind of society he belongs to. Chapter two will draw attention to the main stages of Mustafa's life as a slave, tracing back his attitude and thoughts concerning his status before and during the development of the expedition. I will highlight and analyze how for the main events of the expedition Mustafa has turned to be the active element, how he developed the skills that allowed him to survive the unexpected obstacles and hardship of the expedition. The emphasis will be posted on Mustafa's ability to take advantage of his skills to withstand the moments of crisis turning from a weak character to a powerful one in order to take back his freedom and his identity. Finally it will be considered the evolution of his character and the awareness he reaches once he is free from bondage.