The Octoroon

“Yes we do, ma’am; it’s in a darned bad condition. Ten years ago the judge took as overseer a bit of Connecticut hardware called M’Closky. The judge didn’t understand accounts—the overseer did. For a year or two all went fine. The judge drew money like bourbon whisky from a barrel, and never turned off the tap. […] So it went, till one day the judge found the tap wouldn’t run. He looked in to see what stopped it, and pulled out a big mortgage. ‘Sign that,’ says the overseer, ‘it’s only a formality.’ ‘All right,’ says the judge, and away went a thousand acres; so at the end of eight years, Jacob M’Closky, Esquire, finds himself proprietor of the riches half of Terrebonne.” 

Scudder says this to George and Mrs. Peyton, after Mrs. Peyton says they “scarcely know” about the condition of the estate. The speech explains the estate’s poor finances, which sets up the financial tragedy that will later befall on Terrebonne as the government forecloses on the estate. It also sets up M’Closky’s ties to the land as the estate’s proprietor, as well as his poor treatment of the Peytons that helped to spur the estate’s financial ruin.

George: “How can you ask that vulgar ruffian to your table?”

Mrs. Peyton: “Hospitality in Europe is a courtesy; here, it is an obligation. We tender food to a stranger, not because he is a gentleman, but because he is hungry.” 

George and Mrs. Peyton have this exchange about M’Closky, after he enters the room while the group is having breakfast. The exchange establishes the other characters’ poor opinion of M’Closky—helping to set him up as the piece’s villain—while also signifying Mrs. Peyton’s kindness. Her point about Southern hospitality also furthers the play’s portrait of the South and Louisiana as being an essentially good place with well-mannered people, despite the institution of slavery.

“Wahnotee is a gentle, honest creature, and remains here because he loves that boy with the tenderness of a woman. […] He who can love so well is honest—don’t speak ill of poor Wahnotee.” 

Zoe says this to Sunnyside after he calls Wahnotee a “nuisance” and asks why he doesn’t go back West. (Wahnotee’s tribe is originally from Texas.) Zoe is referring to the friendship between Wahnotee and Paul, which is established here and will go on to define the course of the play, as Wahnotee revenges Paul’s murder by killing M’Closky. The quote also furthers Zoe’s essential goodness, as she does not have a prejudiced view of Wahnotee as other characters do. While Wahnotee is often portrayed as a “savage,” as was the custom of the time, it also sets up the play’s comparatively more sympathetic portrait of the Native American character, who ultimately is shown as very loving toward Paul and valiant in avenging his death and defeating the evil M’Closky.

“I don’t value the place for its price, but for the many happy days I’ve spent here; that landscape, flat and uninteresting though it may be, is full of charm for me; those poor people, born around me, growing up about my heart, have bounded my view of life; and now to lose that homely scene, lose their black ungainly faces,—oh, sir, perhaps you should be as old as I am to feel as I do when my past life is torn away from me.” 

Mrs. Peyton says this to M’Closky after he breaks the news that her estate is to be foreclosed on. It expresses her great love for Terrebonne and helps the audience to sympathize with her plight as the estate gets taken away from her and her plans to reclaim it are thwarted by M’Closky. This speech also demonstrates the two sides to Mrs. Peyton as a “benevolent” slave owner. It acknowledges her genuine tenderness toward her slaves (furthering the “happy slave” depiction, which has since become problematic), but also acknowledges the inherent racial prejudice of the day. Even as she says the slaves have “grow[n] up about my heart,” she still has a prejudiced view of them, referring to their “black ungainly faces.”

“Curse their old families—they cut me—a bilious, conceited, thin lot of dried up aristocracy. I hate ‘em. Just because my grandfather wasn’t some broken-down Virginia transplant, or a stingy old Creole, I ain’t fit to sit down to the same meat with them—it makes my blood so hot I feel my heart hiss. I’ll sweep these Peytons from this section of the country. Their presence keeps alive the reproach against me, that I ruined them; yet, if this money should come. Bah! There’s no chance of it. Then, if they go they’ll take Zoe—she’ll follow them. Darn that girl, she makes me quiver when I think of her; she’s took me for all I’m worth.”

M’Closky says this speech to himself after breaking the news to Mrs. Peyton about the house being put up for sale. The speech lays out M’Closky’s dislike for the Peytons and his love for Zoe, which will drive his further actions. It also explains the motivations behind his actions: his discomfort at being treated differently as a Yankee by the Southerners, and that he’s afraid they will “reproach” him for causing their financial ruin.

“Between us we’ve ruined these Peytons; you fired the judge, and I finished off the widow. Now, I feel bad about my share in the business. I’d give half the balance of my life to wipe out my part of the work.” 

Scudder says this to M’Closky as they argue over the Peyton’s fate, and Scudder says he wants to “cut [M’Closky’s] throat” for his role in bringing about their ruin. The quote illustrates the difference between Scudder and M’Closky. Although both are Yankees who have played a role in Terrebonne’s downfall, Scudder is more kind-hearted and expresses remorse for his actions, while M’Closky does not and only conspires further against the Peytons.

“‘The free papers of my daughter, Zoe, registered February 4th, 1841.’ Why, Judge, wasn’t you lawyer enough to know that while a judgment stood against you, it was a lien on your slaves? Zoe is your child by a quadroon slave, and you didn’t free her. Blood! If this is so, she’s mine! This old Liverpool debt—that may cross me. […] [L]et me only head off that letter, and Terrebonne will be sold before they can recover it. […] Then, if I sink every dollar I’m worth in her purchase, I’ll own that Octoroon.” 

M’Closky says this speech as he discovers Zoe’s free papers, which show that she is still a slave. The monologue lays out M’Closky’s plans to steal the Liverpool letter that will save Terrebonne and his plan to capture Zoe by buying her as a slave, setting the stage for the rest of the play’s actions and further demonstrating M’Closky’s villainous intent.

“[D]ere’s a man from Noo Aleens just arriv’ at de house, and he’s stuck up two papers on de gates; ‘For sale—dis yer property,’ and a heap of oder tings—and he seen missus, and arter he shown some papers she burst out crying—I yelled, den de corious of little niggers dey set up, den de hull plantation children—de live stock reared up and created a purpiration of lamentation as did de ole heart good to har.” 

Pete says this to Scudder, explaining how Terrebonne has been officially put up for sale. In addition to explaining that plot point, this quote also demonstrates Pete’s lesser educated and “lower” nature as compared with the white characters, as demonstrated through his thick accent and improper vocabulary (“oder tings,” “Noo Aleens”). A footnote in the Broadview Anthology edition notes that Pete’s phrase “a purpiration of lamentation” is a malapropism for a sigh of lamentation; such malapropisms were often used at the time to emphasize a character’s lack of education and weaker intellectual capabilities. 

“Of course not, you little fool; no one ever made love to you, and you can’t understand. I mean that George knows I am an heiress; my fortune would release this estate from debt.” 

Dora says this to Zoe about George, after Dora tells Zoe George is too “modest,” and Zoe responds: “I’m no judge, dear” (40). The quote puts forth the idea that Dora could save Terrebonne by marrying George, which becomes a major plot point and paves the way for the love triangle between Dora, Zoe, and George, as Zoe going to tell this to George leads to him professing his love for her. The first part of the quote also sets up the difference in character between Zoe and Southern belle Dora; while Zoe is praised for being good-hearted, Dora is more dismissive, calling Zoe a “little fool” and assuming that no one has ever “made love to” her (a phrase that meant making romantic overtures at the time, rather than the euphemistic phrase it is now).

Zoe: “That—that is the ineffaceable curse of Cain. Of the blood that feeds my heart, one drop in eight is black—bright red as the rest may be, that one drop poisons all the blood. Those seven bright drops give me love like yours, hope like yours—ambition like yours […] but the one black drop gives me despair, for I’m an unclean thing—forbidden by the laws—I’m an Octoroon!”

George: “Zoe, I love you none the less; this knowledge brings no revolt to my heart, and I can overcome the obstacle.” 

Zoe and George have this exchange after George confesses his love for Zoe, and she returns it. It explains the play’s central tragic turn: that Zoe is an Octoroon and cannot marry George due to the laws at the time forbidding any form of interracial marriage. Zoe’s phrasing in describing her blood signals the imprisonment that any form of black blood caused in the pre-Civil War South, as it keeps even Octoroons from having the full rights that white people enjoy, along with “hope” and “ambition.” It also signals the inherent racial discrimination of the time; even though she is herself partially black, Zoe is still discriminatory, calling her blood “unclean.”

“[Y]ou got dat bottle of rum hid under your blanket—gib it up now, you—Yar! […] You nasty, lying, Ingiun! It no use you putting on airs; I ain’t gwine to sit up wid you all night, and you drunk. Hillo! war’s the crowd gone? And dar’s de ‘paratus—oh gosh! if I could take a likeness of dis child!” 

Paul says this to Wahnotee as they arrive with the mailbags, before M’Closky comes in and murders him. It shows the racial discrimination against Wahnotee as a Native American; he is portrayed to be a drunkard (a common stereotype against Native Americans at the time) and even Paul, who is friends with Wahnotee, calls him a “nasty, lying, Ingiun!” The quote also sets up Paul’s use of the camera, which leads to the play’s conclusion. Because he goes to take a photo right before he is killed, there is a photographic plate showing M’Closky standing over Paul’s body, and he is found guilty (and ultimately killed by Wahnotee). 

“What a find! This infernal letter would have saved us all. (During reading of letter he remains nearly motionless under the focus of camera.) But now I guess it will arrive too late—these darned U.S. mails are to blame.” 

This line is spoken by M’Closky to himself, after he kills Paul and steals the Liverpool letter, which informs Mrs. Peyton that the debt owed to her husband will be “paid in full” (46). The quote demonstrates M’Closky’s plan to steal the letter and prevent the Peytons from keeping their estate. It also sets up M’Closky’s downfall; the stage direction noting that he “remains nearly motionless” allows the photographic plate to be captured that shows him standing over Paul’s dead body.

“Lynch him! Darn his copper carcass, I’ve got a set of Irish deckhands aboard that just loved that child; and after I tell them this, let them get a sight of the redskin, I believe they would eat him, tomahawk and all. Poor little Paul!” 

Ratts says this to Sunnyside and the group of planters and auctioneers after being told of Paul’s death, and that Wahnotee is believed to have killed him. The quote demonstrates how beloved Paul was by the community—suggesting both Boucicault’s depiction of slaves as being well treated and the play’s theme of interracial friendship—but also shows the racial discrimination against Wahnotee. Ratts and the other men believe the “savage” Wahnotee killed Paul despite any evidence and refer to him using the derogatory term “redskin.”

Mrs. Peyton: “Oh, George—my son, let me call you—I do not speak for my own sake, nor for the loss of the estate, but for the poor people here; they will be sold, divided, and taken away—they have been born here. Heaven has denied me children, so all the strings of my heart have grown around and amongst them like the fibers and roots of an old tree in its native earth. Oh, let all go, but save them! With them around us, if we have not wealth, we shall at least have the home that they alone can make—”

George: “My dear mother—Mr. Scudder—you teach me what I ought to do; if Miss Sunnyside will accept me as I am, Terrebonne shall be saved; I will sell myself; but the slaves shall be protected.” 

This exchange occurs after Scudder reveals that Dora is in love with George and could save Terrebonne with her wealth—and that Zoe and George are in love—and demonstrates Mrs. Peyton and George’s kind-hearted feelings and treatment toward their slaves, whom Mrs. Peyton likens to family. It also, however, shows the acceptance of miscegenation laws and intolerance for interracial marriage; although Mrs. Peyton knows of George and Zoe’s love, she does not encourage him to love her and for them to be together, but tells him to marry Dora instead.

“Dora, you are right; he is incapable of any but sincere and pure feelings—so are you. He loves me—what of that? You know you can’t be jealous of a poor creature like me. If he caught the fever, were stung by a snake, or possessed of any other poisonous or unclean thing, you could pity, tend, love him through it, and for your gentle care he would love you in return. Well, is he not thus afflicted now? I am his love—he loves an Octoroon.” 

Zoe says this to Dora after she and George confess their love to Dora, before it is revealed that she is still a slave. The quote displays Zoe’s humbleness and goodness toward others, telling Dora that she and George are “incapable of any but sincere and pure feelings.” It also shows the racial discrimination present in the play’s society—even among those who are black, or partially black, themselves—as Zoe refers to her race as an “affliction” and herself as a “poor creature,” even though at the time she still believes herself to be a free woman.

“I wish they could sell me! I brought half this ruin on this family, with my all-fired improvements; I deserve to be a nigger this day—I feel like one inside.” 

Scudder says this after it is revealed that Zoe is, in fact, a slave. In one way, it represents Scudder’s goodness, as he genuinely feels sorry for the Peytons and takes the blame for the pain they find themselves in. It also, however, shows Scudder’s inherent racism (which was indicative of the feelings at the time), as he refers to African Americans in a derogatory way and implies their inherent inferiority by expressing his guilt through saying he “feel[s] like one inside.”

“Cum, for de pride of de family, let every darkey look his best for de judge’s sake—dat ole man so good to us, and dat ole woman—so dem strangers from New Orleans shall say, dem’s happy darkies, dem’s a fine set of niggers; every one say when he’s sold, ‘Lor’ bless dis yer family I’m gwine out of and send me as good a home.’” 

Pete says this to Terrebonne’s slaves as they prepare for the slave auction. It demonstrates Boucicault’s more sympathetic depiction of slavery, in which slaves have been well-treated and are grateful to their masters, who they claim have been “so good to us.”  

“Oh! Must I learn from these poor wretches how much I owe, and how I ought to pay the debt? Have I slept upon the benefits I received, and never saw, never felt, never knew that I was forgetful and ungrateful? Oh, my father! My dear, dear father! Forgive your poor child; you made her life too happy, and now these tears will flow; let me hide them till I teach my heart.” 

Zoe says this alone before the slave auction, after Pete’s speech to the slaves (which she has overheard). It shows Zoe’s sadness over her fate as well as her ingrained prejudice against the other slaves, whom she calls “poor wretches.” Zoe acknowledges here the privileges that she has had as a free woman, which she had previously taken for granted and now she believes she must “pay the debt” for, while also suggesting that she should not have been treated well as a black woman, because it blinded her to her true station in life.

“Gentlemen, I believe none of us have two feelings about the conduct of that man; but he has the law on his side—we may regret, but we must respect it. […] To Jacob M’Closky, the Octoroon girl Zoe, twenty-five thousand dollars.” 

Colonel Pointdexter, an auctioneer, says this to the assembled plantation owners during the slave auction, as M’Closky buys Zoe as a slave while the others protest. The quote shows the inflexibility of the slavery laws at the time, as Pointdexter notes that they must “respect” that M’Closky “has the law on his side.” It also hints at Boucicault’s criticism of slavery as an institution, as it implicitly criticizes the law and highlights its damaging effects.

“I appeal against your usurped authority; this Lynch law is a wild and lawless proceeding. Here’s a pictur’ for a civilized community to afford; yonder, a poor ignorant savage, and round him a circle of hearts, white with revenge and hate, thirsting for his blood; you call yourselves judges—you ain’t—you’re a jury of executioners. It is such scenes as these that bring disgrace upon our Western life.” 

Scudder says this to Ratts, Pete, M’Closky and other men present as they try Wahnotee for Paul’s murder. This is an example of the heightened language often used in melodramas to expose injustice and increase the audience’s emotional reaction to it, as Scudder makes grand statements about the men’s hearts being “white with revenge and hate” and appeals to their moral senses. The quote also exposes the racial prejudice inherent at the time. This is done most obviously by pointing out their immediate rush to convict Wahnotee, but also in Scudder’s—a seemingly “enlightened” character—own prejudice against Native Americans, as he refers to Wahnotee as an “ignorant savage” even as he pleads for him to be better treated. It continues a theme in the text of implicitly criticizing the South’s racial laws, as Scudder here criticizes the “lynch laws” that would allow Wahnotee to be lynched for his suspected crimes.

“’Tis true! The apparatus can’t lie.” 

Scudder says this to M’Closky after the photographic plate showing M’Closky standing over Paul’s dead body has been found. The quote represents the major plot device of the camera being used to convict M’Closky (the first known time photography was used as a major plot device), and also shows how photography is used in The Octoroon to represent objective truth that overcomes the characters’ prejudices (against Wahnotee, in this case) and deceit. 

“All hands aboard there—cut the starn ropes—give her headway! […] (Wahnotee is seen swimming. He finds trail and follows M’Closky. The Steamer floats on at back, burning.)” 

This quote and stage direction take place after M’Closky, about to be killed for his murdering Paul, escapes and sets the Steamer Magnolia on fire, swimming away as Wahnotee follows. The grand scene of the steamer burning and M’Closky and Wahnotee swimming is a spectacle scene (referred to by Boucicault as a “sensation scene”), which was a major feature of many melodramas at the time.

M’Closky: “You are a white man; you’ll not leave one of your own blood to be butchered by the redskin?”

Scudder: “Hold on now, Jacob; we’ve got to figure on that—let us look straight at the thing. Here we are on the selvage of civilization. […] Nature has said that where the white man sets his foot, the red man and the black man shall up sticks and stand around. But what do we pay for that possession? In cash? No—in kind—that is, in protection, forbearance, gentleness, in all them goods that show the critters the difference between the Christian and the savage. Now, what have you done to show them the distinction? For, darn me if I can find out.” 

Scudder and M’Closky have this exchange after Wahnotee rushes at M’Closky, who begs Scudder to stop him from being killed at the Native American’s hand. The quote blatantly exposes the racial prejudice and injustice of the time, as Scudder overtly says that the white man takes precedence over African Americans and Native Americans and infers that there’s an inherent difference in the “protection, forbearance, [and] gentleness” that characterizes white people vs. other groups. It also represents M’Closky’s ultimate comeuppance by Scudder, who has previously said he would like to kill M’Closky for his injustices against the Peytons.