Anti-colonization and dehumanization in Aphra Behn's Oroonoko In Oroonoko, Aphra Behn sheds light on the horrors of slavery and expansionism that Britain was waging as it assembled the his overseas empire. Behn paints most white settlers as absolute examples of greed, dishonesty, and brutality. Through these depraved individuals, Behn regularly articulates the barbarism inherent in the British nature as opposed to the African prince Oroonoko, who is presented as the quintessential model of nobility, physical prowess, and honor. These recurring motifs evident throughout the literary work reveal Behn's intention to undermine the inhumane treatment of the colonized population and criticism of overseas expansion. After careful examination of the literary work, one might ultimately see Aphra Behn's Oroonoko as an attack against the dehumanization of colonized peoples and a subtle criticism of British external colonization. The first account of Behn's anti-colonization stance begins with the introduction of the native Indians of Suriname, who have been defiled and stripped of their virtue due to the intrusion of the English. The natives of Suriname are depicted as living in perfect peace in a world shrouded in beauty and innocence. The narrator of the story states that, "...these people represented for me an absolute idea of ​​the first state of innocence, before man knew how to sin" (2184). Behn goes further by comparing the natives to Adam and Eve when the narrator explains that the aprons worn by the natives are similar to the "fig leaves" that Adam and Eve wore (2184). By establishing this description of the natives, one can begin to see the innocent natives as Adam and Eve before the fall... in the center of the card... offerings. It is evident that Behn believes that the dehumanization of the colonized other is wrong, and that Britain should cease its expansion abroad, or at least change its methods of interacting with the inhabitants of the colonies. The way Behn distinguishes white men from natives and Africans attests to his anti-colonization stance. Despite this, it becomes problematic to analyze Behn's position on slavery, due to the frequent distinction made between the characters. The narrator makes us feel sympathy for Oroonoko, but he doesn't seem to have much in common with his people and is obviously separated from them in terms of status as he also takes slaves. One wonders that, upon closer examination of the narrator's logic and reasoning throughout the work, Behn is not completely against slavery, but rather the treatment of slaves..