The Power of Nonwhite Culture Revealed in Doris Lessing’s No Witchcraft for Sale

 The story that takes place in a certain area in the land of Africa tells about the life of the Farquars, a white family, and their relationship with the cook of the family, Gideon who is black people. The story begins when the family eventually has a child after years childless. When the white child born, many of the Farquars’ servants, who also black people, give many presents for the family and congratulate Mrs. Farquars since they put a great admiration toward the white child because of his blonde hair and blue eyes. The white child, Teddy, has a strong relationship with Gideon but then it starts to change when for the first time Teddy who is about six years old badly treats Gideon’s youngest son merely because Gideon’s youngest son is a black boy. Starts from this point, Gideon realizes that Teddy is a white and it cannot be denied that there is a certain space between black and white people. Gideon starts to put a distance between him and Teddy and finally Teddy realizes it and treats Gideon just like a common servant.

The conflict begins when a snake spat full into Teddy’s eyes. After seeing his master’s condition, Gideon directly rushes to get medicine from the bushes and gives it to Teddy. Soon enough, Teddy’s condition become better. The news about the effectiveness of the herbs medicine is widely spread. Because of it, some workers from a laboratory come into Farquar’s house to get what kind of herbs medicine that can cure the snake’s poison and then to produces it for mass consumption. The laboratory workers also give Gideon some presents to seduce him telling the medinice. The Farquars also order Gideon to tell the herb but Gideon refuses it.

I use postcolonial studies in doing the analysis. There are some main points of postcolonial studies that I apply in this story. Postcolonial critics study texts especially those which are written by marginalized ethnicities, immigrants and refugees. Due to the reason, postcolonial study can be applied in the story since Doris Lessing, the author, was born from British parents but then they moved to Africa. In this point, we can see her position who is as an immigrant in Africa. Later it is found out that although she is white, she loudly rejects racism that happens in South Africa

The other main point of postcolonial studies is that it explores such issues in a literary text such as ownership, territorial competition, conflicts with indigenous people, etc. Issue that can be found in the story is conflict between white people and indigenous people of Africa. The conflict that appears in the story is about the white people who want to know the magical medicine that can effectively cure snake’s poison because they want to produce it for mass production but the indigenous people, who is black, refuse to tell it.  

Said’s concept of orientalism is also one of the main points in postcolonial studies as he describes the stereotypical discourse about the East as constructed by the West. Said critiques the Western image of the Oriental as fallen, irrational, different whereas West define itself as rational, virtuous and normal. According to Robert Young, post colonialism today tends to assert the power of nonwhite cultures. Due to the reason, this analysis aims to reveal the power of nonwhite culture which is depicted in the story.

Said’s concept of Orientalism can be found in the story. When the news of the effectiveness of the herbs medicine widely spread, a white doctor states his ignorant toward the magical medicine by saying it’s nonsense. This point can be seen as the Western image that considers the East as irrational and fallen. The story also reveals the admiration of black people as the colonized people toward the white people as the colonizer. This can be seen when the white child of The Farquars born, the servants who are black people put a great admiration toward the child. The black servants give many presents for The Farquars as if the child is a very precious and a very great thing. It is stated too the story that the black people admire the blonde hair and blue eyes of the white child. Those physical characteristics consider as the common thing that are usually found in white people and it seems like those black people are very fond of those white people’s physical characteristics.

Besides physical appearance of the white, the black also put a deep believe about the bright future of the white child. It can be seen when Gideon compares the future of a white child and a black boy. He believes that someday the white child will become a master and the black boy will become a servant. Gideon’s self- concept of thinking about his own race represents the common believes of black people about their own people. As the former colonized people, they always think that they will not able to surpass the greatness of the colonizer, which is white. Moreover, some of the colonized people tend to think that the greatness of colonizer is a God’s will. Even they are not longer colonized by the white, this kind of thinking’s concept is still deeply absorbed by the former colonized people.

The author does not merely describe how the former colonized people look down upon their own people, but also describe how their own culture is still strong. This paper aims to reveal the power of the nonwhite culture that is depicted in the story. It can be seen when Gideon is urged by The Farquars and the laboratory’s workers to tell the magical medicine, Gideon refuses to tell it. Even when the laboratory’s workers give him some presents, he still stands with his own will. He insists that the magical medicine is something that not for sale. It is something that not need to be known widely. Only natives of Africa who really know the magical medicine and this condition need to be kept like that. Gideon’s attitude toward his own culture by keeping the essential part of their lives unknown and untouchable from the white people shows the power of nonwhite culture to maintain their identity.

Based from the above explanation, it can be concluded that the story, which is written by Doris Lessing, is not merely talks about the conflict between different peoples and different cultures but moreover the author wants to deliver a certain message. Lessing wants to show that nonwhite culture is still strong and powerful and to show their hard struggles toward the oppressions of white people to maintain and keep their culture pure.