cruel In Oroonoko we see this system clearly in the colony of Suriname where Europeans rule through lies violence and fear Colonial Betrayal and Deceit We find the first sign of colonial cruelty when Oroonoko is betrayed by an English ship captain Oroonoko is an African prince An English ship captain invites him to dinner and friendship Oroonoko trusts him because he believes in honour and truth But the captain betrays him chains him and sells him as a slave This shows how colonialism works through lies Oroonoko later understands this truth and says Never to credit one word they the colonists spoke This line exposes the false morality of European colonists They pretend to be civilized but their actions are cruel and dishonest Slavery as a Tool of Colonialism Colonialism survives through slavery In Suriname Africans are forced to work in sugar plantations They are treated like animals not humans Oroonoko is renamed Caesar This fact shows how colonialism takes away identity Even a prince is reduced to property Families are separated Slaves are beaten and tortured Oroonoko sadly 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 Behn clearly shows that slavery is the darkest side of colonial rule False Promises and Colonial Hypocrisy European colonists often promise freedom but never keep their word Governor Byam promises Oroonoko freedom if he stops the rebellion Oroonoko believes him again But Byam lies and tortures him instead This shows colonial hypocrisy Colonists speak of law and justice but practice cruelty Their power depends on cheating the colonized people Behn presents Europeans as morally inferior though they call Africans savages Resistance Against Colonial Rule Oroonoko does not accept colonial slavery quietly He questions why free people should serve strangers He leads a slave rebellion This rebellion is a strong anti-colonial voice Oroonoko asks Why should we be slaves to an unknown people This question attacks the very idea of colonial authority Though the rebellion fails it proves that colonialism is unnatural and unjust Colonial Violence and Tragic Death The final punishment of Oroonoko shows the extreme violence of colonialism The colonists kill him slowly and brutally They cut off his ears nose and limbs The narrator describes this horror clearly With an ill-favour d Knife they cut off his Ears and his Nose and burn d them This cruel killing proves that colonial power survives through violence not justice Oroonoko s calm courage during death exposes the moral ugliness of colonial rulers In fine Oroonoko is clearly an anti-colonial novel Aphra Behn exposes colonial lies cruelty slavery and violence She shows Africans as noble and Europeans as greedy and dishonest Oroonoko s tragic life and death reveal the inhuman nature of colonial rule