Theme: Abolition and Education
The view of the stories exemplifies the theme of abolition. In both the works, the determination of the protagonist is to see slavery abolished. The plots all drive through the murky quest for freedom that eventually lead to the abolition of the slavery and eventual freedom to all. The long-raging battling against slavery took a different turn when protagonists to the slavery turned vile and rebellious to the subdued way of life. Douglass’ characterization of the events of slavery takes the war an artistic level with assertions and imagination of rebellion against the slave masters (Newman 127-52). However, Douglass’ agonies are compounded by ignorance. He asserts at the beginning of the Narrative of the Life that, “I have no accurate knowledge of my age, never having seen any authentic record containing It.” This is a clear demonstration of ignorance. In the view of Douglass, the antagonizing circumstances lead to the feeling of enough slave mediocrity that creates the sense to not only seeks freedom but to do in through confrontation till the goal is achieved. Douglass finds pride in fighting for his freedom rather than escaping from it. It is critical to understand the bearing of his action concerning the theme setting of the novels. In the African-American history, the agonies of slavery remain real throughout the generations that find the act still hard to cope.
Character
The novels project protagonists with a similar manifestation of character that ranges from resilience to wit. The central characters remain all determined to their cause which is to secure the freedom for all the slaves. In the He says upon reaching Canada, “how would a man be free when my poor wife barely has life.” (Fredrick 5-9) Despite their agonies in the hands of their masters, there were limited options out of the situation and as projected by the novelist, staging rebellion or running away were the viable options and either presented plethora of challenges and repercussions. In this regard, tactical moves characterized by intelligence were considered the key to the success of any. However, in a heroic mannerism, Madison Washington escapes to Canada leaving his loved ones behind. He soon rediscovers the tribulations of his family under the bondage of slave masters and decides to go back in a bid to secure the freedom for his wife and other friends who remained captives.
Plot
The plots of the stories all exhibit similarities in the form of exposition, compilation, resolution as well as the climax. In both, the events leading to the resolution remain the same. Mistreatment and constant abuses guide the stories to the end and act as catalysts to the sequence of the story. As evident in the Narrative of the Life, Douglass undergoes numerous ordeals in the hands of slave masters with a little help. A similar situation is experienced by Madison in The Heroic Slave. He sees his relatives mistreated and barely have an opportunity to see his mother even at death. While he’s an innocent young child, he becomes the victim of psychological torture while seeing his aunt being whipped every all the time. However, when he becomes of age, he’s made subject to abusive slavery and is sent to different masters to serve them. While serving Coy, he makes a lifetime discovery of how important education would be the fight for freedom. The wife of the master teaches him how to read, and that does not go well with the master. To his revelation, the wife brings the sense of slavery and their weapon of operation. He discovers that slavery enhanced through continuity of ignorance. He asserts, “I could not tell why I had to be deprived of the same knowledge.” (Fredrick 5-9) In his pursuit of enlightenment, he escaped to New York then later to Massachusetts. However, the reality of the people left behind, and their ordeal soon took tall, and he decided to move back to salvage them from the fierce claws of the masters. His quest to fight for freedom is seen as he showcases unusual determination to see the abolition of slavery.
Work Cited
Douglass, Frederick. "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass." (2009): 5-9. Web. 28 Mar. 2016.
Newman, L. "Free Soil and the Abolitionist Forests of Frederick Douglass's "The Heroic Slave"" American Literature 81.1 (2009): 127-52. Web.
