Essay: Abraham Lincoln’s real character in Oates’ work: “Lincoln: The Man Behind the Myths

Abraham Lincoln is the sixteenth president of the United States, the face that is seen on the five-dollar bill and known as one of the best presidents that the United States has had. In American History one learns about the accomplishments Lincoln has brought to the United States but never really understands how Abe Lincoln became such an important figure and how he really was as a person. In the monograph Lincoln: The Man Behind the Myths by Stephen B. Oates, Abraham Lincoln is seen as a myth, as “… a godly emancipator who personified America’s ideal Everyman” (Oates, 1984, pg.3). Stephen B. Oates in part one of the monologue focuses on the three different myths that follow the figure of Abraham Lincoln, part two emphasizes on the life of Lincoln before he became president, and in the final part focuses on the assassination of Lincoln and the suffering of his family and his country.
To begin with, the first part of Lincoln’s monologue is about the multiple myths that people have come up with when referring to the former president. The first myth that was presented is the most common and it describes Lincoln as “an earthly incarnation of the Saviour of mankind” (Oates, 1984, pg.5). Many black Americans started to idealize Lincoln because he was the president that enacted the Emancipation Proclamation. When Lincoln became president, the United States of America was divided into two parts: The Unites States and the Confederate States of America. What Lincoln did while he was president was allow the slaves to serve in the Army and the Navy of the Union. After the war it was said that the slaves would be set free, yet this did not apply in the Northern states nor in the border states. Therefore many people idealize Lincoln as the savior of the slaves and the president that united both the Union and the Confederacy. The second myth that was presented in the monologue was the “countermyth of Lincoln as villain- corrupt, depraved, and diabolical” (Oates, 1984, pg.17). Many people believe that Lincoln was the responsible of many unnecessary bloodshed, starting with the Civil War and ending with the Battle of Gettysburg. The American’s that did not favor Lincoln were the one’s living in the South. They blamed the president for abolishing slavery or at least allowing slaves to be free or fight in the war to defend the Union. The Confederate states thought that Lincoln forced them to fight a war that they were not prepared for which is why the Union ended up winning and the casualties in the South were so high. Finally, the last myth that was presented in this monologue was also a countermyth that portrays “Lincoln as a bigot, as a lifelong white supremacist who championed segregation, opposed civil and political right for black people, wanted them all thrown out of the country” (Oates, 1984, pg.21). The people that believe in this myth think that Lincoln was opposed to the extension of slavery because he wanted to protect the wealth of the white people. Another issue was that slaves were dominant in the United States, there were more black people than white people. Therefore, if they had the right to vote they would outvote the white Americans.
Moreover, part two of Lincoln’s monologue embodies the events that led up to his involvement in politics and his childhood. In the monologue, Herndon presents Lincoln’s past by mentioning that his father was an illiterate man that spent his days toiling in the fields. Lincoln was ashamed of both his mother and father which is why they were not invited to his wedding nor they were presented to Abraham’s family. Lincoln as a young man had to teach himself how to read and write by reading volumes over and over again. He then started to study Shakespeare, Byron, and other poets that led Lincoln to his love for poetry and for writing. Lincoln expressed his insecurities about himself and his obsession with death in his poetry, making almost all of his poems tragic. Furthermore, as time passed by Lincoln met his future wife Mary Todd. Mary’s family was not in favor of the relationship between Lincoln and Mary, yet Mary did not care and married him either way, eventually helping him with his political career. Lincoln suffered from depression and suppressed his illness in his law office. Being involved in politics allowed him to focus on other things and he also used his passion for humor to laugh about himself and others. “By the 1850’s, Lincoln was one of the most sought-after attorneys in Illinois, with a reputation as a lawyer’s lawyer…” (Oates, 1984, pg.52). Abraham was known to defend oppressed people and felt a need to defend women rights. All in all, historians have viewed Lincoln as a man worried about prejudice and oppression as well as a gifted man with talents in writing literature.
The final part of this Lincoln monologue informs readers about the president’s death and the consequences that it brought to his family. In 1865, a tragedy was taken place at the Ford’s theater. It was the first time that a president of the United States was assassinated. Abraham Lincoln was shot in the head by John Wikes Booth, “…a prominent Shakespearean actor with militant Confederate sympathies” (Oates, 1984, pg.154). Booth wanted to be remembered in history, and moreover hated Lincoln because he blamed the president for the military arrests, abolition and massive killings in Dixie, and the division of the old Union. Booth thought that he was saving his country by murdering the president of America and doing the citizens a favor. Unfortunately, Booth found people that supported his plan of assassination and they murdered the president in front of his wife and the audience that was present at the Ford’s Theater. After Lincoln passed away the assassins were caught, and Booth was gunned down to death. There are many conspiracies that assert that Booth had contacts inside of the white house that were helping him to plan the assassination and they even blamed Mary Todd for having to do with her husbands’ death. When Todd’s husband died, she started to become crazy. She had already lost her son and now she was a widowed first lady. She was accustomed to spend large amounts of money, yet when her husband died she was left with no money to pay back her dues. She decided to flee to Europe with her son but when her middle son also died her oldest son put her into a hospital for crazy people. Shortly after, her son took her out and gave her to her family, the Edwardses, they took care of her and took her back to Springfield where she was once happy.
In conclusion, the monograph Lincoln: The Man Behind the Myths by Stephen B. Oates is about the life and myths of Abraham Lincoln. He is known as one of the presidents that changed the future of the United States by trying to abolish slavery and reconstruct the states in America. After reading this monologue, one can understand why Lincoln has a memorial in Washington and why he is a person in which one would be proud to follow.