Throughout the book, Florens and other characters reference
the blacksmith whom Florens seems to have a crush on. The blacksmith, being a
free black man, comes up often and seems to play a passing yet important role
in the novel. But why is Florens so infatuated with this man? There could be
several reasons for her interest, including the fact that he is a free man and
also black. As a child, Florens has always been a victim of the ongoing slave
trade and the numerous conflicts that it brings forth. She was taken away from
her mother and younger brother at the mere age of eight. She now works for
wealthy individuals that don’t seem to fully understand her or her life. Florens
may be envious of the blacksmith for his freedom. Its logical to assume that as
a slave, she may envision a life of freedom in her own future. To her, the
blacksmith could make that possible. The theme of slave relations in the novel
may prove to be a bigger topic than one would have presumed. In the coming
chapters, I would not be surprised to see some form of increased radical racial
discrimination. Unlike Absolom Absolom! This novel is before the civil war, and
enslaving black people was not an uncommon event.
I think another important aspect of the blacksmith is the fact that his is a man. Men are consistently referred to throughout the book as thoughtless or evil and prone to victimizing women, so therefore one must wonder why Florens, given all of that, would still think about this man day and night. Aside from (what I assume is) interest in her, what does she see? From what we know, the possibilities behind the cause of Florens' love may be that he has survived slavery and is now a free man, his profession is honorable, and he reaps the benefits of his own labor, or that she idolizes him and dreams of living his life. These ideas contrast the blacksmith from all other men in the novel thus far.
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