The Moor's Account

Gold represents greed throughout the novel. As a young man, Mustafa works as a merchant trading merchandise for gold. As he becomes richer, he is consumed with making a profit. One of his greatest regrets is letting his avarice lead him to trade in slaves: “out of sheer greed for more gold, I had sold slaves” (111).

During a terrible famine, Azemmur’s European occupiers prosper by trading gold while the locals suffer: “But our ill fortune did not afflict the Portuguese in our town: they still shipped gold. […] If anything, the drought and famine we were experiencing had only made their trade more profitable” (77). While the Portuguese exploit the region’s natural resources, Mustafa is forced sell his mother’s precious gold bracelets to help the family survive. Finally, Mustafa sells himself into slavery, a transaction of “life for a bit of gold” (91).

When Mustafa arrives in La Florida, he finds a golden pebble which Narváez confirms to be gold. Mustafa feels ashamed that his discovery leads to the natives being held captive, beaten, and tortured. Mustafa reflects: “It was my find—the pebble of gold—that had unleashed the violence of Señor Narváez upon them” (47).

When Narváez announces that they are heading to a city as rich in gold as the city of Moctezuma, Mustafa ignores his guilt and fantasizes that when his master becomes rich, he’ll be set free and able to return to his beloved hometown of Azemmur.