Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Sweetsmoke, by David Fuller: Slavery, Murder and Mystery

With Sweetsmoke screenwriter David Fuller abandons the standard tale of plantation life for a plantation murder mystery.  Along with the mystery is a tale of the self-discovery and valor of a slave named Cassius Howard.

Cassius sets out to solve the murder of a free woman, Emoline Justice. Emoline became a mother-figure to him, nursing him back to health and sanity after his wife was murdered and his infant son sold away.

Fuller lays bare the politics of slave life on the plantation. The ultimate prize is life among familiars.  No one wants to be die, be beaten or sold away. The slavers hold the keys to personal power and gain.

Emoline had done the unthinkable.  She taught Cassius to read--a skill punishable by death.  The origin of his naming by Hoke, the plantation owner is a theme that runs throughout the tale.  The name was taken from the Tragedy of Julius Ceaser, by Shakespeare.  It incites Cassius to steal the book to discover what the plantation owner saw in him at his birth, before he became a man.

The tale is fortified by the presence of a slave woman Quashee, an African, in whom Cassius first sees intelligence and later, loyalty. The two join forces as Cassius begins to unravel the mystery of Emoline’s murder.

The Civil War forms a backdrop for the murder, intrigue and politics of all involved.  Was Emoline a spy for the North?  Was her death a conspiracy? Was she killed for her money? These questions entice the reader to stick with the story until the murderer is revealed.

Unlikely characters become allies and seemingly benign characters prove treacherous.  Fuller does an adequate job with the characters and tale of plantation life, however his strong suit is mystery and intrigue.

Posted by Dorothy Ferebee on 01/14 at 06:00 AM
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