The Octoroon

The Octoroon uses language not only to convey the story, but also to delineate between the characters. The slave characters, such as Pete, use a broken English that shows their lack of education—“[G]ib it to ole Pete! he’s allers in for it. Git away dere!” (23)—while the white characters use a more “proper” English vocabulary to show their education and higher status. Wahnotee is depicted as even lower status than the black characters through his language, using a “mash up” of languages that few of the other characters can decipher and is often speaking in unrefined grunts like “Ugh!” (67).

The piece’s Southern setting is also depicted through regional vernacular, as characters use vocabulary and pronunciation that suggests their Louisiana accent. Ratts says to Sunnyside, for instance, that he’d like to say “summit soft” (48) to Mrs. Peyton.

The play also uses heightened language to convey the emotionality of the piece. This is most pronounced in depicting Zoe’s tragic arc, as she makes exaggerated statements like: “Now these tears will flow; let me hide them till I teach my heart. Oh, my—my heart!” (56).