Mixed race character in a historical

[valarltd]

We were bitten by the heterosexual Historical bunny.
So "Yellowstone River Blues" is in the works.

Basically, imagine a middle-aged Erroll Flynn falling for a slightly-less middle-aged Thandie Newton.

The problem is, Paz appeared as profoundly mixed in my head.

Her father is the son of a runaway slave and his Apache wife.
Her mother is the result of a wealthy Texas landholder's liaison with his Mexican cook.
Her parents were burned out and murdered by ranchers/US military who were trying to open the land to white settlers.

Is this too complicated? Is it too Mary-Sue or fanfictiony?


Also, what period appropriate term would she use for her grandfather?
I'm thinking Negro was the polite term in that era.

Would you, as a reader, hurl a book across the room if a sympathetic character referred to her ancestry in such terms?
(unsympathetic characters will have less polite terms)


And if anyone can point me to a website featuring prices in the 1890s, it'd be much appreciated.

Comments

The D-Man checks in

[(Anonymous)]

Way too complicated, especially for a character whom you say has no real interest in her racial heritage(s) anyways--since nobody wants her. A quick blurb about it for basic background, plus the character's personal sentiments on it, and then who cares? If it ain't ever gonna come up or benefit her after that, it's just wasted words that will bog down the story. She's a mixed-blood, so nobody much cares for her... It's just an excuse for the pure-bloods on all sides to scorn and abuse her, and she's been bitter about it since childhood... Life ain't fair! Enough said.

I believe a typical enough term for Africans back in that time period was, "Darkie." Being as they were just slaves (property), I doubt there needed to be a "polite" term for them, any more than society at the time (or even today) needed a polite term for any other form of livestock/chattel. A goat's a goat, a horse is a horse... a slave is a slave. Is it worth keeping or not? Do you wanna sell it or not?

From my own research, the typical slave sold for about $8,000 in the mid to late 19th century... at least in America. Adjusted for inflation, that would be about $40,000 today. Ebay often has authentic paperwork and bills of sale up for auction that you can look at from this time period. Just reference/search, Slave Girl.

Just a common sense question: Would it be wise to call this character into town to take out certain unsavory persons her family doesn't care to have around, and then object to their paid killer sharing a table with them? If we don't like her, and she don't like us... what's to keep her from just turning around and killing us too if we don't show her some respect after she does our bidding--even if for a price? What's to keep her from taking contracts our rivals might then put out on us? At least if we tolerate her better than anyone else, and give her a shred of respect... and maybe a place to call home on a limited basis... we could keep her interested in at least keeping us alive, since she's got nobody else and nowhere else to go to.