nds them to Suriname (a British colony in South America) to be sold. This betrayal shows the horrors of slavery. This also shows how European colonists used lies and false promises to trap people. The narrator says:

“Never to credit one word they [European colonists] spoke.”

Life in Slavery: In Suriname, Oroonoko is renamed “Caesar” by the colonists. It shows slavery strips away the identity of the slaves. Even though he is a prince, the colonists treat Oroonoko like a slave. They force him to work in harsh conditions on sugar plantations. The colonists beat enslaved people for small mistakes. They separate families—parents from children, husbands from wives. Enslaved people have no freedom and no rights. They call Africans “savages,” but their own actions are far more brutal. Oroonoko says:

“We are bought and sold ... to be the sport of women, fools, and cowards.”

This means that the enslaved people are treated as unimportant property of the white colonists.

Cruelty of European Colonists: The European colonists in “Oroonoko” are shown as selfish, greedy, and cruel. They constantly lie to Oroonoko. They promise him freedom but never keep their word. Trefry, a European overseer, seems kind to Oroonoko at first. But even he does nothing to help Oroonoko escape slavery. Oroonoko tries to rebel. He says:

“Why ... should we be slaves to an unknown people?”

The colonists promise to forgive him. But this is a lie. They tie him to a post. They beat him until his body is torn and bleeding. The governor of the colony, Byam, is the most evil of all. He pretends to be friendly but later betrays Oroonoko in the worst way possible.

Brutal Killing of Oroonoko: The final scenes of the novella are the most horrifying. Here we are, heartbroken to see the horrors of slavery. Oroonoko kills his wife, Imoinda, to save her and their unborn child from slavery. He believes this is the only way to save her from more pain. The colonists capture Oroonoko. They cut off his body parts—starting with his fingers, then his ears, nose, and arms. The narrator gives a graphic description of the horror:

“With an ill-favour’d Knife, they cut off his Ears and his Nose, and burn’d them;”

This brutal killing shows how heartless and savage European colonists were. Even in death, Oroonoko stays brave. He smokes a pipe calmly as he dies.

In conclusion, Behn’s “Oroonoko” exposes the extreme cruelty of slavery. It depicts the harsh attitude of European colonists, who betrayed, lied, tortured, and killed. They treated slaves worse than animals. The novel asks us to question who the real savages are: the enslaved Africans or the Europeans who profit from their suffering.