The Infortunate: William Moraley

The Infortunate is an autobiography written by an indentured servant named William Moraley. In his memoir, he talks about how he became an indentured servant, as well as some of the experiences he has encountered throughout his voyage into the New World. Through his words, readers are able to understand the hardships that indentured servants and slaves have gone through, and to capture what freedom is like for them during the 18th century. However, editors named Susan E. Klepp and Billy G. Smith were able to prove that Moraley has exaggerated several instances, which makes us question if his story is a valid primary source. This also makes us think about what could possibly be his intention in writing this memoir, or what he wanted people to take away from his story. After analyzing his words and the editor’s information, I believe that Moraley’s purpose in writing The Infortunate is to let people recognize his talents and capabilities as a human being and to see his life as an adventure. Furthermore, his

All of the opportunities and interactions that he has revealed in his novel suggests that freedom was more of a privilege than a right during the 18th century. I actually find it ironic that Moraley considers himself as an “infortunate” because in the end, he still made an effort to try to achieve something in his life by writing and publishing his novel, which is something that slaves were not allowed to do. Moraley may have written his book to an English audience of the 18th century, but I think it is astonishing that his novel stood out more to people in the 21st century. Therefore, I think Moraley was able to achieve his purpose since he left an important legacy that allows us to see his capabilities and talents as not only an indentured servant but as a human