Opium Induced Society: What Hierarchy does to Humanity
In de Quincey’s autobiography, Confessions of an English opium-eater (1821), both social and national hierarchy are called into question in comparison to the effects of opium consumption. Simply put, what opium does to an individual’s body functions as a metaphor for a greater ill in humanity as a whole, an illness triggered when mankind is plagued by racism and prejudice.
The passage which sparked my interest to delve deeper on the issues of class between that of Englishmen and non-Whites is the scene where de Quincey is approached by a nomadic Malay at his home. This Malay is juxtaposed with an English servant girl in de Quincey’s presence, and the contrasting imagery reveals the racist sentiment prevalent in 18th century Britain: “a more striking picture there could not be imagined than the beautiful English face of the girl… contrasted with the sallow and bilious skin of the Malay” (de Quincey 30). While the English is considered to be “beautiful,” thus superior, the Malay is depicted to be “sallow,” hence physically inferior than his European, Caucasian counterpart with their physicality notably focused on their skin color. Blatant racial discrimination has been common throughout history, yet the way the character is portrayed as a Malay gives evidence that he is most likely to be Chinese, which unknowingly by the narrator, may act as a reference to the Opium Wars, a conflict between the East and West. When de Quincey “present[s] [the Malay] with a piece of opium,” the Malay “bolt[s] the whole, divided into three pieces, at one mouthful” (de Quincey 31). This event serves as a reminder of not only the Opium Wars but also of the Opium Trade which precedes the War and becomes a catalyst for military conflict.
An aspect noteworthy in relation to the injustice of the Opium Wars is that the opium, a tool for trade, a good consumed by humans may be placed at a higher rank than its consumers. De Quincey even goes so far to remark that “the opium, is the true hero of the tale,” not the opium-eater (41). Not only does opium inflict physical damage on the human body but was also used as a mean to obtain tea in order to satisfy the excessive gluttony of the British public; the opium acts as a symbol for greed which in turn, controls and ultimately, engulfs mankind. Therefore, the reader is infected with a perverted imagery of the opium-eater eaten by the opium, similar to how the majority of the Chinese population have been addicted to opium to the extent that their government had to war against trade of the infamous drug.
Even though the short relationship shared between de Quincey and the Malay seems insignificant with no aggression from both parties, his memory with the Malay continues to haunt him critically during his times of suffering from the hallucinations of opium overdose. De Quincey explains his “dreams of Oriental imagery and mythological tortures” as “unimaginable horror” and claims he would “sooner live with lunatics or brute animals” (38). I believe that de Quincey’s hyperbolic apprehension of Eastern culture represents the dynamics of civilization versus savagery imposed strictly and unfairly from the Europeans’ perspective, with Europe as a representative of civilization with Asia as its savage counterpart. As a result, the narrator’s refusal to acknowledge Orientalists as civilized humans and his equals leads him to transfix them in a culturally inferior, ignominious title as a savage race. In his dreams, de Quincey is “the idol… the priest… [and he is] worshipped” by those of ‘Oriental’ descent (39). Therefore, these racist sentiments working against non-Europeans further develop a hierarchy not only between individual races but also between nations where the stronger country holds the upper hand against its neighboring countries in monopolizing the global market by conquering and exploiting the weak. The Opium Trade is only a trade by name, when in reality, it was a one-sided exploitation from Britain by overpowering China with its military force.
Hierarchy in knowledge is closely linked to that of hierarchy between races. On the discourse of “an inner eye and power of intuition for… human nature,” de Quincey asserts how “our English poets [are] possessed in the highest degree, and Scottish professors in the lowest” in terms of this ‘intuition’ (7). Hence, de Quincey is perpetuating a social construct based on British national pride where racial superiority naturally comes with greater knowledge and reasons for assuming a higher sense of being. However, within the communal context of British identity, where everyone share the same nationality, unnatural usurping elements destabilize the social pyramid and hierarchy of knowledge. De Quincey claims that him and his mates are “better Grecians than the head-master,” yet states rather guiltily of how “[i]t is a bad thing for a boy to be and to know himself far beyond his tutors” (8). This statement holds both pride and wariness on de Quincey’s part since being superior in knowledge than his instructor can be a suitable reason to usurp those above him who assume higher positions of intelligence. On the other hand, whether de Quincey is truly more capable in Greek than his head-master is questionable and open for doubt since the reader is restricted to his view points only. Therefore, the lines which divide class and order in de Quincey’s school is hazy, and uncertainty pervades his writing. There is no fundamental basis for clarity on any of the assumptions made on hierarchical relationships in the text, similar to the bodily state when induced with opium. Judgment is clouded and hallucinations attack the mind only to trigger the imagination in creating terrifying images, similar to how mankind constructs both social and national hierarchies with no logical reason, but purely based on ambition for financial profit or personal pride.
With this assumption in mind, I conclude by questioning the legitimacy of the different hierarchies presented in Confessions of an Opium Eater. Moreover, these doubts are directly applicable to modern society as long as remnants of racism and inequality from colonial history remain.
Works Cited
Quincey, Thomas De. Confessions of an English opium-eater: and related writings. Ed. Joel Faflak, Peterborough, Ontario: Broadview Press, 2009. Digital.