In her book Oroonoko, author Aphra Behn physically distinguishes her titular hero from his fellow countrymen in a way that subtly foreshadows and establishes the significance of the
duality that is to define the overall identity of Oroonoko. Understanding Behn's choice to utilize this method of distinguishing Oroonoko is central to a critical appreciation of the story, for without it one can be left reading the physical description of Oroonoko as merely a racist attempt to render an African character with attributes that inevitably invoke the question of whether Western appraisals of
masculine beauty signify also a superior view of masculine beauty. Oroonoko's duality is of supreme importance to the story: he will be depicted as both a Prince and a slave; as one who trafficked in slaves and who is made a
slave himself; as an African warrior and as a noble educated in European history; as one man with two names. Behn personifies this duality in her early description of Oroonoko's face, comparing his nose to that of Roman heroes instead of the usual African flatness, and his
lips as being thin instead of thick.
Oroonoko is manifestly African, yet he is also clearly meant to represent the European ideal of masculine good looks. Oroonoko physically bridges both African and European cultures and because of this he is able to be recognized immediately by members of both societies as possessing greatness. It's doubtful that Oroonoko would be considered any greater than any fellow African slave had he looked more like them, with a flat nose and big lips. It is his very European-ness that ingratiates him so naturally to actual Europeans. Oroonoko's identity is tied again and again to his dual nature, and it is vital to recognize that Behn is not being hopelessly racist when she describes an African man whose face resembles nothing like that of the
average African man, and everything like that of the average European man.
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