Student Question
When is Jessie's main conflict resolved in "The Slave Dancer"?
Quick answer:
The main conflict in "The Slave Dancer" is resolved when Jessie returns home after being kidnapped to play music on a slave ship. However, his internal conflict remains unresolved, as the traumatic experience alters his personality and aspirations. He abandons his dream of wealth due to the pervasive ties to the slave trade and struggles with music's traumatic associations. Despite leading a "normal life," this internal conflict persists throughout his life.
Jessie has several conflicts. One conflict is when he is kidnapped and taken on a slave ship to play his fife for the slaves to "dance" and get exercise. This conflict is resolved when he makes it back on US soil and eventually arrives back home. Another, deeper conflict is what this experience does to Jessie's personality. Even though he makes it back home, he never overcomes the internal conflict he feels after the experiences on The Moonlight. Jessie give up his plans to become "rich" because he can not find a profession which does not lead back to the slave trade. He can no longer listen to music because it takes him back to the horror of what he endured while on the slave ship. Jessie spends the rest of his life trying to resolve this conflict and even though he marries and has a "normal life," this conflict is never resolved.
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