The Goophered Grapevine

The plot of the short story is discussed in the review so may not be spoiler free.

This short story was I believe the first story written by an African American published in a mainstream literary magazine, 'The Atlantic' in 1877, and I believe was the first story written by Chesnutt.

The story is about a white couple who travel to a Southern state, with the intention to buy a vineyard and grow grapes. When they get there, they find a black man, Uncle Julius sitting there eating grapes. He advises against the purchase of the vineyard advising that the grapevines are cursed and begins to tell the story of the history of the vineyard.

On one level Julius' story works as a simple parable about greed. The white owner doesn't like black slaves eating his grapes and so asks for the place to be 'goophered' by a 'conjuring woman'. She curses the vineyard and anyone who steals the grapes experiences ill fortune. It's clear that the vineyard owner gets massive profits following this, even though he doesn't pay the woman much. One of his slaves doesn't know about the curse and eats, and as a way of a cure by the woman experiences something unusual. In the spring and summer he is young, strong and vigorous, aligned to the growing of the vines. His hair, head and body change shape. In the winter he gets old and withers. The slave owner realises he can sell the slave at a high price when he is 'young' and buy him back when he is 'old' at half the price and repeats this. The white slave owner's business is ruined when a Yankee man advising of new techniques ruins his crops.

There are many levels to this story beyond the greedy slave owner receiving his comeuppance. Is Uncle Julius lying? If the vineyard is cursed, well he looks quite happy eating grapes grown there. Is he trying to put the couple off so he can keep the grapes for himself? I think there is a message of hope in here from Chesnutt. What I think he may be saying is, the Yankee methods killing off the grapevines are an allegory to the North killing off slavery, and that the old ways of slavery are no longer a viable way to grow crops or indeed have a society. The story is about the death of an old world and the start of a new one, because crops do grow again in the cursed vineyard once the slave owner is gone. I do find it notable that the couple end up buying the vineyard and it thrives with Julius employed. I wonder if it is because they do not appear to be racist in the story? They do not ask Julius to move and ask him to sit with them, they wait for directions from a little girl. In the story they are the visitors and (for the context of the time at least) appear to treat the black characters with respect and dignity.

Uncle Julius speaks in the dialect of the southern slaves, but to be honest, it is easy to understand and engage with (I've seen reviews saying it's unreadable, but it isn't). Julius does use some racialised words that may be uncomfortable for some readers to read today, but having read a few 19th century works focussing on racism and slavery recently I am glad it jars and feels uncomfortable for this can't ever be normalised again.

Worth a read and available to read for free here https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/...