The Moor's Account

The main theme of the novel is the power of words. This theme is woven throughout the book using three subthemes: names, storytelling, and record keeping. When Mustafa first sells himself into slavery, the clerk who records the sale asks him his name; “Mustafa ibn Muhammad ibn Abdussalam al-Zamori, I replied, naming myself, my father, my grandfather, and my native town” (82). The clerk enters a single word his register: Mustafa. Mustafa observes, “It delivered me into the unknown and erased my father’s name” (82).

When Mustafa is a baptized as a Christian after being sold to Rodriguez, he’s given the Spanish name Esteban. Mustafa notes that he “entered the church as the servant of God Mustafa ibn Muhammad ibn Abdussalam al-Zamori” but he “left it as Esteban. Just Esteban—converted and orphaned in one gesture” (109).

When Rodriguez sells him to Dorantes, his name is changed again to Estebanico. The author uses very similar language to describe this experience: “I had entered the Casa de Contratación as Esteban, but I left it as Estebanico. Just Estebanico—converted, orphaned, and now dismissed with a boy’s nickname” (149).

With each renaming, Mustafa suffers another loss. In the first sale, he loses his father’s name; in the second, he loses his Muslim identity; and in the final sale, he loses the dignity of a man’s name.