This week I read “Oscar Micheaux’s The Symbol of the Unconquered: Text and Context” by Pearl Bowser and Louise Spence. This chapter of “Oscar Micheaux and His Circle: African-American Filmmaking and Race Cinema of the Silent Era” focuses on one of his earlier films The Symbol of the Unconquered. This chapter discusses how Micheuax transformed his own life experiences into prominent themes found in his films. Furthermore, this chapter discusses other important issues such as color, racial identity, and interracial relationships that Micheaux includes in The Symbol of the Unconquered as well as his other films and novels.
The chapter begins by describing Micheaux’s young adult life. He started a homestead on the Rosebud Reservation in Gregory, South Dakota and by age 25 had amassed more that 500 acres of land. While he unfortunately had to give up his land due to foreclosure in 1914, the idea of West as a place for African Americans to prove themselves is a prominent theme found throughout his works. The chapter then goes on to introduce characters from The Symbol of the Unconquered as well as discuss how little trouble it had with state censor boards. One idea as to why censor boards wouldn’t have as many issues with this particular film in contrast to one of his other films Birthright was that The Symbol of the Unconquered seemed to focus on interracial issues. The films antagonist Driscoll can pass as white but in order to achieve true “whiteness” he becomes an oppressor, isolates himself and betrays the Race. Another theme that The Symbol of the Unconquered and other Micheaux works deal with is interracial romance. However, Micheaux only plays with this idea and often has one of the lovers actually be an African American who can pass for being white (which is a fact the other lover is often unaware of). The chapter concludes by discussing how “Micheaux seems to be reading his own success as both a benefit and a catalyst for the entire community.”
This chapter demonstrates the impact Micheaux’s life had on his work and how he used his work to impact the lives of others. He brought up many important (and often controversial) issues in his works despite censorship by white cinema boards. Ultimately, The Symbol of the Unconquered provides a unique perspective on the lives and troubles of African Americans in the early 1900s.
Micheaux is such a fascinating character!
It was interesting to get some background knowledge on Micheaux. It was interesting to read about how this specific film used a character who disregarded his blackness because he was white passing. My chapter also discussed how Micheaux’s interest in “white passing” Blacks might have been tied to his influence by Charles W. Chestnutt, whom was white passing himself.