Aboan Character Analysis in Oroonoko

A young warrior and good friend of Oroonoko, Aboan is basically Oroonoko’s “wingman.” He pretends to be in love with the much older Onahal, one of the king’s old wives, to help Oroonoko visit Imoinda while she is cloistered in the Otan. Aboan is extremely loyal to Oroonoko and a good liar, traits that help him seduce Onahal. Along with Oroonoko, he is captured and sent to Suriname as a slave.

Aboan Quotes in Oroonoko

The Oroonoko quotes below are all either spoken by Aboan or refer to Aboan. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

Imoinda is as irrecoverably lost to me as if she were snatched by the cold arms of death… Oh! she is never to be retrieved… unless I would either ignobly set an ill precedent to my successors, or abandon my country, and fly with her to some unknown world who never heard our story.

Related Characters: (speaker), , ,

Aboan Character Timeline in Oroonoko

The timeline below shows where the character Aboan appears in Oroonoko. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...indeed possible for dark-skinned people to blush—she’s seen it. Luckily for Oroonoko, his good friend, Aboan, is there to support him, and the King happens to look away at the right... (full context)

Oroonoko’s friend Aboan, who has presumably been with Oroonoko the entire time, agrees with Onahal’s assessment. Soon, all... (full context)

...Oroonoko watches only Imoinda, the most graceful of the dancers. In the meantime, Onahal and Aboan retire to a secluded window seat. (full context)

Returning to the narrative, the narrator describes what transpires between Aboan and Onahal in the window seat. Aboan is a beautiful and virtuous man, like Oroonoko,... (full context)

Aboan is no fool, and he knows that Onahal likes him. He recognizes that courting her... (full context)

When the King breaks up the festivities to retire, Aboan returns to Oroonoko with the news of his success with Onahal. Oroonoko asks Aboan to... (full context)

...be his last chance to be with Imoinda before they are separated again. He urges Aboan to do his best with Onahal. At the Otan, the women again dance to entertain... (full context)

Onahal is overjoyed to hear this. She tries to give Aboan her pearl earrings, but he tells her that instead he wants an hour alone with... (full context)

...another night, he will die for his disobedience. Meanwhile Onahal, recognizing that her happiness with Aboan depends on prolonging Oroonoko’s stay, tells them both to come to the gate before they... (full context)

At midnight, spies watch Oroonoko and Aboan arrive at the Otan’s back gate, where Onahal lets them in. They relay this information... (full context)

...a deep depression and refuses to fight. Because of this, his army, now led by Aboan, does poorly in battle and is close to losing. (full context)

...camp rather than return to court, the site of his grief. Jamoan, his French tutor, Aboan, and all his troops try to cheer Oroonoko up. In time, his heartache lessens. After... (full context)

...invitation, and the Captain prepares the ship for a royal reception. Oroonoko, his French tutor, Aboan, Jamoan, and around 100 of the noblest male courtiers come aboard the ship that night.... (full context)