While the narrator abhors how Oroonoko is treated, she never admits that she has a problem with the institution of slavery itself-the main injustice she decries is that a natural king like Oroonoko should be treated so disrespectfully. While she highly esteems Oroonoko, there is a sense that he is the exception, not the rule, when it comes to African. She sees these “natives” as close descendants of Adam and Eve before the Fall of Man, but her opinions toward black Africans seems to be a bit murkier. For the most part, the narrator is open-minded (for her time) and not entirely bigoted in her opinions of the native peoples of the European colonies. Almost the whole of Oroonoko is told in the narrator’s voice and from her perspective. Narrator (Aphra Behn): The narrator is a female Englishwoman, and possibly the direct voice of the author, Aphra Behn, who lived in Suriname for a while and may have had similar experiences to the narrator.Imoinda is also incredibly obedient to Oroonoko, and accepts her own death and her unborn child’s murder at his hands out of the abundance of her love for him. She is handy with a bow and arrow, and wounds Governor Byam during a slave uprising. She then fights alongside Oroonoko to gain liberty and a better life for their unborn child. Not long after being reunited with Oroonoko in Suriname, Imoinda becomes pregnant. Imoinda remains true to her husband, however, but this brings about her downfall when the king sells her into slavery.
He takes her as his concubine, even though he knows she has pledged her love to Oroonoko and married him. This is a particularly big problem in Coramantien, where Imoinda catches the eye of the king. Her beauty often brings her unwanted attentions from men, however, even in the New World. Imoinda (a.k.a Clemene): Imoinda is described as a “black Venus,” corresponding to Oroonoko as the “black Mars.” To the narrator, Imoinda perfectly complements Oroonoko in beauty and virtue.
Oroonoko/Caesar is also incredibly brave, and performs many skillful, daring feats while hunting game in Suriname. Trefry christens Oroonoko as “Caesar,” and he is referred to as such from then on. He mistakenly assumes that his notion of honor means the same thing to the white Christians he comes into contact with-a mistake that several times ends up depriving him of his freedom.
Oroonoko has strong notions of duty and perfectly follows the codes of his society, except when his love for Imoinda compels him to protect and honor their marriage by taking her life to protect her and their unborn child. The narrator stresses that he is extraordinarily handsome, intelligent, and honorable, despite being black. Prince Oroonoko: The last descendant of the King of Coramantien, Oroonoko was raised away from the court to be a skillful warrior by Imoinda’s father.
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