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"Mature Content Warning!" |
| “ | "Sin"? There is no sin! A man does how he pleases with his property. At the moment, Platt, I am of great pleasure. You be goddamn careful I don't want to come to lighten my mood no further. | „ |
| ~ Epps to Solomon Northup after whipping Patsey. |
Edwin Epps is the main antagonist of the 2013 autobiographical film 12 Years a Slave.
In his characterisation, he is a plantation and slave owner who infamous for being exceptionally cruel - even among other slaveholders in Louisiana - and believes God himself ordains such practices.
He was portrayed by Michael Fassbender, who also played Burke in Jonah Hex.
What Makes Him Pure Evil?[]
- Whipped his slaves mercilessly, especially if they didn't meet their cotton quota, attacking them himself to the point of crippling them physically and/or mentally. He even gained notoriety among the surrounding plantations for this exceptional cruelty.
- As a result of Epps' overseers' abuse and generally poor labor conditions, some of the slaves would collapse and die while working the fields. He would also storm into the slave quarters, drunk and manic, demanding their presence in the house for song and dance, depriving them of much-needed sleep and presumably threatening them if they didn't comply to his satisfaction.
- While any white laborers that Epps may have working for him remain unscarred by the whip, as indicated when he exonerates Armsby instantly for having "lied" to him (a lie itself) because he is white, this is not leniency and only spares them because they aren't legally his property, thus the law may have condemned him for abusing them. That being said:
- Any whites who did not agree to his racist views were treated with potential violence, as was seen when he threatened a worker who showed sympathy for slaves and warned them they were no longer in the North, implying that if they continued to support ideas of racial equality, they would face harm. He also openly attacked the whites who came to free Solomon, threatening both legal action and potential mob violence.
- As a result of Epps' overseers' abuse and generally poor labor conditions, some of the slaves would collapse and die while working the fields. He would also storm into the slave quarters, drunk and manic, demanding their presence in the house for song and dance, depriving them of much-needed sleep and presumably threatening them if they didn't comply to his satisfaction.
- In his first appearance, he justifies his inhuman treatment of the slaves using the Bible, citing Luke 12:47, which essentially states that if servants are not subservient to their masters, they will face harsh physical punishment. Thus, due to his faith, he is unable to perceive his sinful activities as sinful at all, even blaming his slaves for bringing God's scorn to him when his crops are infested, rather than even considering that his own horrid behavior may be the source of his misfortune. He also thinks Patsey is at fault for his sexual aggression towards her for tempting him.
- After purchasing him, he develops a fascination with Solomon Northup, becoming determined to break his spirit out of a combination of infatuation with clever slaves and his infamy for breaking his slaves. He constantly threatens to beat Solomon or attempt his life, threats that are often empty but still keep Solomon on edge. There were times when Epps did physically assault Solomon, however.
- It's implied he had some sympathies for his wife Mary when he first met her living a poor life in Cheneyville—whether or not he did, by the film's present, their marriage has dissolved into (or perhaps stagnated on) verbal domestic conflict and mutual contempt for one another.
- This is exemplified by Epps telling Mary that she will be gone from the plantation long before Patsey—a female slave whom he is obsessed with and shamefully attracted to—demands he sell her and his general apathy towards her.
- After witnessing Solomon speak to Patsey, Epps comes to believe the former is sexually advancing on Patsey and, in a fit of jealousy, attempts to cut him with a blade.
- After tripping up, Epps feigns surrender to Solomon, only to immediately attack him once more when Solomon extends his hand to help him up. When Mary stops them and admonishes her husband for his obsessive nature (as Solomon had told her prior), Epps lies and says he hasn't even spoken to Solomon, attempting to paint him as a liar instead, knowing he won't speak up against his master, on the pain of torture or even death for insubordination.
- Come nightfall, he raped Patsey regularly, beating and strangling her while he did, and he did so knowing that it made his wife, Mary ever more jealous and hateful. As a result, she took her rage out on Patsey, beating her as well.
- While he's seen being kind to a young African-American girl, Patsey's mourning implies he has something bad in store for her. According to Epps' actor, Michael Fassbender, the scene was meant to imply he was raising her to be his next sex slave.
- After Patsey returns to Epps, who was infuriated over her absence and harassed the other slaves because of it, she reveals she went to the neighboring Shaw's plantation for soap to clean herself with. Instead of listening to her pleas, he believes she's lying, has her tied to the whipping post, and forces Solomon to violently whip her, lest he kill all the other slaves present. Although Epps was reluctant to whip Patsey himself, any reluctance he had dissipates when he takes the whip from Solomon, who can no longer bear lashing her. Epps uses much more force and derives great satisfaction from it, warning Solomon not to provoke him further or he will be beaten as well.
Trivia[]
- Similar to Amon Goeth, Epps is another Pure Evil villain, and his real-life counterpart was far worse than the version portrayed in the movie. His constant whipping moods, where he started whipping his slaves for no real reason, were not included, meaning that his crimes, including his abusive behavior towards Patsy, were all toned down for the movie.
- Like the actors who play Dolores Umbridge and Alan Yates, Michael Fassbender was so uncomfortable with his character's actions that he passed out after filming Patsey's rape scene.
External Link[]
- Edwin Epps on the Villains Wiki.
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 Pure Evils
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Animated Features Live-Action Features See Also | ||
 Pure Evils
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Live-Action Films See Also | ||