What unforgivable act is committed by Mag Smith in the opening chapter of Our Nig ?
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Answer: D. She marries a Black man.
Explanation
Mag Smith commits the socially taboo act of marrying a Black man in Our Nig. This transgressive interracial marriage initiates the tragic plot of the novel. Harriet Wilson uses this event to expose racial prejudice in antebellum America. Our Nig was written by Harriet E Wilson and published in eighteen fifty-six. It is recognized as the first novel published by an African American woman. Antebellum northern society maintained severe racial prejudices despite lacking slavery.
The novel provides a rare critical perspective on indentured servitude in the North. Historians value the text for its autobiographical insights into nineteenth-century racism. Readers study Our Nig to understand intersectional struggles of race and gender. Option A describes passing as white which is not the opening taboo act. Option B minimizes the severe social transgression of marrying across racial lines. Option C is a mundane action that fails to capture the core societal taboo.
- Subject
- English
- Category
- English Literature
- Topic
- —
- Difficulty
- medium
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