MASTERPIECE brought us four new shows in January, including the powerful mini-series The Long Song. Set during the final days of slavery in 19th-century Jamaica, the series tells the story of the hardships and survival of plantation slave, July. Each week, we're bringing you a new installment of a series of character studies on July from guest contributor Amanda-Rae Prescott. These articles will cover the events of episode one, so if you haven't watched it yet, catch up on GBH Passport.
The Long Song is a first-person narrative in the original novel by Andrea Levy, and this is brought out in the miniseries through the flashes of Old July (Doña Croll) interrupting her story of life during slavery as if she is writing with tears or spilling ink. The audience is watching her grow up and navigate life. At times, she is an unreliable narrator because as a younger woman (Tamara Lawrance) she is unable to see the natural consequences of her actions or recognize that some of the characters she believes to have good intentions have quite the opposite in mind.
July’s cleverness and ability to test Caroline’s (Hayley Atwell) limits is the first thing viewers see. Even as a little girl, July didn’t always listen to her mother. Her “misplacing” of the pearl buttons subverts the myths that slaves were always complacent about their place in the world. Resistance was often subtle for the threat of violence by masters, mistresses, and overseers was real. July knows that Caroline is emotionally dependent on her on top of July being the only person who is trained in being a lady’s maid. She has clear survival instincts and also a desire to have her own money as well. Although the viewer doesn’t find out how much she profited from the pearl buttons, it would have likely been a start towards saving up for manumission papers.
Some may regard her ability to take the most valuable remnants of Caroline’s clothing as selfish, but July also uses her position to help others if needed. Although Godfrey (Lenny Henry) initially gives her the order to smuggle wine back to the slaves’ Christmas party as a distraction, she still decides to use her place to help others. Smuggling excess food, alcohol, and other provisions was common among house slaves as rations were meager. This scene also shows July developed both friendships and working relationships with others. Although she is the narrator, she is also representing one part of a larger picture.
Underneath all of July’s confidence to defy Caroline’s wishes are some insecurities. Miss Clara (Madeline Mantock) represents the core of her insecurities in regards to physical appearance and her status in society. Although her father, Tam Dewer (Gordon Brown) was a white man from Scotland, her darker skin tone leads to people denying that she is a “mulatto” (biracial) which would improve her social status. As a “quadroon” (one-eighth African descent), Miss Clara can easily marry a white man and her children can avoid the legal and social restrictions the racial caste system imposes on those with full African heritage. July is somewhat jealous of Miss Clara’s fine clothes and more socially acceptable appearance and wants a little of that for herself.
July’s attitude toward her friendships and relationship with Nimrod (Jordan Bulger) reveals a level of youthful naivety that makes her character relatable and realistic. Often in slavery-set dramas, writers choose to paint characters like July as saints without high levels of forgiveness and empathy. Since she is telling the story, she feels no shame about her desire for Nimrod. July’s curiosity about sex is the result of both puberty and her environment, where she has likely seen consensual and non-consensual sexual activity.
The aspect of the story July seems most oblivious to is one readers would assume she would have the most knowledge on: she has no foreknowledge of the political or social movements of the island. Her world is Amity plantation, Caroline, and her fellow slaves. She is oblivious to the slaves who are organizing for their freedom. This is a subversion of other stories where the main characters are actively involved in organizing their escape or plotting various forms of armed or unarmed resistance against their masters. She finds out about the Christmas Rebellion of 1831 at the same time her masters do. For her, the rebellion represents short-term freedom from hearing Caroline screaming commands. July is thinking more about her relationship with Nimrod and youthful romantic fantasies than the social and political implications of her situation. Her attitudes reflect her age and level of experience.
July's youthful dreams are ripped away from her as Caroline’s brother John (Leo Bill) has to live with the consequences of his actions in participating in the militia. July’s narration in the series speeds past the untold destruction and brutality designed to prevent Black Jamaicans from claiming their human rights described in the book. Seeing Nimrod and her mother die in the aftermath of the rebellion is what separates the oblivious girl from the woman whose life is filled with constant tragedy. She cannot adequately process what has happened to her because survival becomes her main motivator. July’s baby boy has the best chance at freedom if the abolitionist missionaries take care of him. If she raised him, he would also inherit his slave status and could also be sold away from her.
The official end of slavery complicates July’s motivations and emotions even further. Her emotional ties to Amity and her finances hold her back from how viewers might expect a story like this to unfold. Even though she stole the pearl buttons, she likely does not have enough money to move away and find a new occupation. In addition, her skill set revolves around domestic labor, which would mean competing with other newly-freed women for work. July once again exploits Caroline’s dependency into a more stable situation for herself. It is not clear if becoming the housekeeper comes with a highly-compensated salary but at least July can now officially refuse to attend to Caroline if she wishes.
Overall, episode one introduces July as a woman who is simultaneously reflecting on her youth and also building the world around her. Her narration is filled with details for Black and white viewers alike who never experienced what it was like to be a slave. July has a depth to her that makes viewers want to find out more about her sorrows and her joys in life.
