The fairest state of them all, this tranquil and beloved domain-what has it now become? A nursery for Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas. A monstrous breeding farm to supply the sinew to gratify the maw of Eli Whitney's infernal machine, cursed be that blackguard's name! In such a way is our human decency brought down, when we pander all that is in us noble and just to the false god which goes by the vile name of Capital! Oh, Virginia, woe betide thee! Woe, thrice woe, and ever damned in memory be the day when poor black men in chains first trod upon thy sacred strand!
The passage reflects a deep lament for the transformation of Virginia, describing it as a once peaceful and cherished place now reduced to a source of labor for the cotton industry. It portrays a profound sense of loss, as the state has become a site where the dignity of individuals is sacrificed for the insatiable demands of capitalism, represented by Eli Whitney's cotton gin. The author expresses outrage at the moral degradation that accompanies this commodification of humanity.
Styron's lamentation reveals the painful history of slavery, emphasizing the arrival of enslaved people in Virginia as a foundational tragedy. The invocation of Virginia’s decline serves as a poignant reminder of the cost of economic progress, where human suffering is overshadowed by the pursuit of profit. The emotional weight of the passage underscores a collective mourning for the values that have been abandoned in the pursuit of wealth and power.
