Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass has many characters within the narrative. Each character is shown using different methods that generally repeat themselves. As characters are introduced, the narrative gives even the minor characters a small amount of development before continuing onward. Characters are an important part in the Narrative since people drive its events. Douglass shows characters with dialogue, imagery, and unique names.
Frederick Douglass is our main character, narrator, and author. While others are not directly talking about him in the early chapters, what Douglass writes reveals aspects of himself. For example, a young Frederick Douglass did not understand why “I ought to be deprived of the same privilege (3).” concerning …show more content…
All Douglass knows about them is that they are “colored and quite dark (10).” and he recognizes that this process removes any love between family members making it that much easier to sell them off individually. The power of slavery almost makes it a character in itself controlling every other characters decisions and lives. Frederick Douglass never saw his mother completely since they never met “by the light of day (10)”. The physical darkness forced between Douglass and his mother prevents him from being emotional at her …show more content…
Lloyd obsesses over his horses since their perceived performance depended on “the state of Colonel Lloyd’s own mind (22)”. The result of perceived improper performance leads to a vicious lashing of the caretakers Old and Young Barney. We also learn the Colonel Lloyd will ride around and ask slaves about their condition, and if he is not happy with their answer, the slave is “sold to a Georgia trader (23).” This shows that Colonel Lloyd is more concerned with keeping his mindset the same than being confronted with the truth.
Several of the people within the Narrative have names that correlate with their personality or behavior. Mr. Severe, according to Douglass, takes “pleasure in manifesting his fiendish barbarity.” Every single action Mr. Severe took is a detriment to the slaves from profanity to vicious whippings and the field became full of “blood and blasphemy (17).” All the slaves became joyful at his death calling it “the result of a merciful providence (18).” Mr. Severe lived long enough to show Frederick Douglass what being in the position of absolute power could do to a
Frederick Douglass is our main character, narrator, and author. While others are not directly talking about him in the early chapters, what Douglass writes reveals aspects of himself. For example, a young Frederick Douglass did not understand why “I ought to be deprived of the same privilege (3).” concerning …show more content…
All Douglass knows about them is that they are “colored and quite dark (10).” and he recognizes that this process removes any love between family members making it that much easier to sell them off individually. The power of slavery almost makes it a character in itself controlling every other characters decisions and lives. Frederick Douglass never saw his mother completely since they never met “by the light of day (10)”. The physical darkness forced between Douglass and his mother prevents him from being emotional at her …show more content…
Lloyd obsesses over his horses since their perceived performance depended on “the state of Colonel Lloyd’s own mind (22)”. The result of perceived improper performance leads to a vicious lashing of the caretakers Old and Young Barney. We also learn the Colonel Lloyd will ride around and ask slaves about their condition, and if he is not happy with their answer, the slave is “sold to a Georgia trader (23).” This shows that Colonel Lloyd is more concerned with keeping his mindset the same than being confronted with the truth.
Several of the people within the Narrative have names that correlate with their personality or behavior. Mr. Severe, according to Douglass, takes “pleasure in manifesting his fiendish barbarity.” Every single action Mr. Severe took is a detriment to the slaves from profanity to vicious whippings and the field became full of “blood and blasphemy (17).” All the slaves became joyful at his death calling it “the result of a merciful providence (18).” Mr. Severe lived long enough to show Frederick Douglass what being in the position of absolute power could do to a