In a story I’m working on set in a fantasy universe, a multi-species society exists in which some of the races practice indentured servitude. This servitude exists in the context of apprenticeship. If an adult wishes to become a profesisonal–doctor, lawyer, engineer, and so forth–he or she signs a contract with a master and becomes both student and servant a period of several years (the precise length depends on the profession). Once the contract is signed, the apprentice cannot break it except for abusive behavior on the master’s part; the master can break it at will.
In the story, we meet one such pair, a doctor and her medical student. There is clearly affection between the two of them. For example, at one point this pair is part of a larger party trying to evacuate a city under seige, and it’s possible for the apprentice to escape but not the doctor. The doctor orders the apprentice to leave, and she refuses because her indenture requires her to do anything in her power to protect her mistress if she is in danger. The doctor then breaks the indenture, whereupon the apprentice still refuses to abandon her, pointing out that the doctor is no longer privileged to give her orders.
Someone who’s read this passage has averred that this is an unsympathetic setup, at least for Americans, saying the doctor’s willingness to have an indentured servant is by its very nature unethical, and further saying that the apprentice’s refusal to leave the doctor is like a battered wife’s refusal to leave her spouse. I was wondering if any of y’all have opinions on this.
I’ve read several novels featuring women who start out as indentured servents and end up happily married to their former master. Or maybe, A former master-- in the interest of realism or plot development or something I think at least one has in fact had multiple masters ranging from evil to decent.
Being the master might make it a tad trickier to be sympathetic, but I’m still not seeing why being in the position of owning an indentured servent makes one neccessarily unsympathetic.
Reading the details of your bit, I can see the battered wife analogy–although given your claim of affection between them, and the general structure of your world, I’m not giving the battered wife syndrome complaint a whole lot of credence.
I’m not seeing the doctor’s willingness to have an indentured servant as being inherently unethical, or undeserving of sympathy, especially in a world where the doctor was once an indentured servant, learning the profession in her turn.
I was fine with the concept until I got to the part about the clause that requires the apprentice to protect the master. That seems more than a little unusual, and not something I’d expect to find in most employment contracts, even those requiring indentured service. Also think I’d probably use a different name for the relationship–“indentured servant” has unpleasant vibes for what appears to be a voluntary arrangement.
Not automatically unsympathetic. If you’re describing a society where this is the norm, then readers should understand that. Assuming the doctor doesn’t abuse his servant in any way, then the fact that the society requires this sort of indenture should not reflect badly on the character.
The affection can be tricky, but as long as there is no sexual or romantic element, it should be fine.
As you describe it, it doesn’t sound any different than the relationship between and employer and his employee (other than the employee has a long-term contract). In fact, since the servant can end the indenture if they are abused, this really is more an employment contract than an indenture (which doesn’t allow the indentured servant to quit).
Finally, you’ve chosen the wrong reader to comment. This is a fantasy society, and you can’t fault the doctor for following the rules of his society (again, as long as he doesn’t abuse his position of power). Most fantasy readers understand the story isn’t set in the US, and that indentureship is expected.
I don’t actually use the complete phrase “indentured servant” in the story rather, the doctor breaks the student’s indenture so she will be free to leave without legal repercussions. But it’s an entirely voluntary relationship, albeit one based on class. That is, the doctor may not have been an indentured servant herself, assuming she had the money to pay for her education directly. The student here was a pauper who could never have afforded college, and so took the indenture route as a bootstrapping thing.
Re: Eureka’s comments, marriage between servant and master would be unlikely in this society, and illegal during the term of the indenture; it would be considered ipso facto evidence of the master being abusive. A master who has sex with his or her indentured servant is going to jail, or physically disciplines her,is going to jail.
Eureka reads too many romance novels. Indentured servants ending up happily married is undoubtably more common in books than in reality, but probably never seemed all that likely in the books in question. And while they ended with love (and sex), the marriages didn’t neccessarily start out with either one.
It is helpful to know that one doesn’t HAVE to be an indentured servant to train as a doctor, etc., but I’m still not seeing as a deal breaker. The important stuff from my perspective is that the master not be cruel–cruelty is not only about forcible sex or phsyical abuse, but about freedom, compassion, etc.