Oroonoko: Infamy

Infamy: 1. Evil fame or reputation; scandalous repute; public reproach, shame, or disgrace. or 2. The quality or character of being infamous or of shameful vileness; (with plural) an infamous or utterly disgraceful act.

Oroonoko addresses the "Miseries and Ignominies of Slavery," singling out slave masters as a degenerate race. The passage dwells on the emotional fear and how psychologically broken slaves are. It comes from the idea of not truly having concrete options to look forward to. Even if a slave were to obtain freedom, they truly wouldn't be free. Tuscan points this out to Oroonoko; he poses a question that addresses the safety of not their own lives but of their families. African Americans didn't have the basic human rights held by White Americans; they would always be reduced to the "other." The passage foreshadows the ending of the story; they will partake in an act that goes against the acts of Virtue, Compassion, Charity, Love, Justice, and Reason. That psychological fear fuels their emotions and decisions that lead them to betray their own kind. Not wanting to face the backlash from the White slavemasters leads them to turn their backs on Oroonoko and do the work of the oppressor.

"infamy, n." OED Online. Oxford University Press, December 2019. Web. 6 February 2020. https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/95202?redirectedFrom=infamy#eid