Why did the white people on Candieland respect or even take commands from Stephen?
As the Question states: Why did the white people on Candieland respect Stephen in Django Unchained? And even, after Calvin Candie died they even took orders by him. When Django was under the table and they tried to shoot him, why did they stop shooting, just as Stephen ordered them to do so?
I'm just asking, as in that time, even if they respected him because of his grace of Calvin Candie after he was dead, no one had a reason to listen to him. I even would bet, any of all these guys with guns would have disrespected him that much, that he just would have shot him, so how did this come? Why they not even just didn't kill him, more over they listened to his orders?
Best Answer
This is not entirely implausible as a portrayal of slavery. When white children were raised by slaves, they can grow to love them even as they feel they are inferior... you loved your puppy as a child, no doubt.
Stephen raised him as a boy, and was always a mentor figure. Calvin no doubt grew to rely on him for advice and wisdom, and those would be no less valuable when he became a man. Stephen then became Calvin's own steward, and after years of doing this job well no one would come to doubt that Stephen spoke with Calvin's authority when giving commands.
In the immediate aftermath of Calvin's death (and with Stephen having no blame in it, trying to prevent it and afterwards trying to avenge it), they couldn't instantly stop listening to the man... ingrained habits might take hours or days to be questioned. Especially so if they agreed with the commands being given (which they might very well agree with). Stephen was never giving orders to be lenient or kind to Django, after all.
Also if there were cause for future embarrassment (someone gossips that they were being ordered around by a negro), this could readily be denied.
These are tropes that go beyond just American slavery... in the Roman Republic/Empire, slaves often rose to high status and were respected... no one would refuse advice/orders to be spiteful, knowing that the immediate gratification would be outweighed by the long term disadvantage.
Pictures about "Why did the white people on Candieland respect or even take commands from Stephen?"
Why was Stephen against Django?
During the meal, Stephen's dislike towards Django grows increasingly apparent due to the fact that he is a free man and is free to ride a horse alongside white men.Was Steven faking his limp in Django?
Whilst Steven may not have 'lost' his limp, there is definitely a suggestion that he is deliberately exaggerating his physical handicap... The entire film is a portrait of ethnic stereotypes, with each character seemingly tackling and subverting hackneyed clich\xe9s; In Stephen's case, 'The Uncle Tom'...Why was Stephen so loyal to Candie?
Stephen is a house slave that has completely bought into the racist ideology that justified slavery in the American south. As an elder house slave, Stephen enjoys a twisted friendship with Calvin Candie. This relationship reinforces Stephen's idea that he is superior to field slaves, an idea that he treasures.Why was Stephen faking his limp?
In Django unchained (2012) final scene, when Django realizes that Steven the butler was faking his limp to avoid labour, the first thing Django does is make him taste the real pain of limping.Analyzing Evil: Stephen From Django Unchained
More answers regarding why did the white people on Candieland respect or even take commands from Stephen?
Answer 2
I would imagine that it was because they really did not care about skin colour but evil men only in it for the business/money. You can see that the house (expletive) was a front by Stephen and behind closed doors he was calculating and full of menace. He was as much a leader of the gang as the rest
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Askar Abayev, Eren Li, Eren Li, Monstera