Rights and Religion

While reading The Known World by Edward P. Jones, I noticed that the word “right” was often portrayed with other words that were very important in the novel. Because of this, I think that “right” is important in that it advises the reader to consider the connection between these ideas and the definition of the word “right.”

“Right” is often used in the same sentence as religious ideas. For instance, after Henry dies, the narrator states “and God told him right then,” (11). When the preacher visits, he says “heaven is right over there,” (87). In a situation that is not already associated to religion, Skiffington says “I would move heaven and earth to make it right for you, Harvey,” to solve a dispute between his patrollers (159). In each of these instances the word “right” is completely connected to religion through words like “heaven” and “God.” Because of the novel’s topic, whenever coming across the word “right”, the reader initially considers the idea of right and wrong. Therefore, Jones is associating the difference between right and wrong with religion.

Often, when “right” appears in the novel, it is paired with a word that is typically associated with being content or calm. For example, Patterson is described as liking “the sound of the word peaceful right then,” (38). He later states “My job is to protect everybody, to make sure everybody can sleep right every night,” (39). “Peaceful” and “sleep” both refer to the idea of relaxation. Later in the novel, as Skiffington is reading the bible, he sees “a male cardinal as it flew from left to right,” (162). Flying is typically associated with freedom. When Stamford is thinking about his parents, he visualizes “his mother in his right hand and his father in his left hand,” (192). With this excerpt, “right” is connected to family. In each of these cases, what is “right” is associated with a luxury that slaves do not have. Through mentioning the word “right”, Jones points out that the slaves do not have any freedom, time to relax, or any guarantee that they can stay with their family.

Throughout the novel, Jones uses the word “right” to force the reader to consider other ideas. Often, the other idea that he is pointing to is religion. However, Jones also uses “right” to point out the rights that the slaves don’t have in his novel, The Known World.