Critical Analysis of a Slave Narrative

Frederick Douglass’ Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave is
one of the most celebrated works in the African American literary tradition. The
autobiographical account is one of the most widely read North American slave narratives. The
book was published in 1845, slightly short of seven years since Douglass’ escape from slavery.
The title of the book has a byline that points out that Fredrick Douglass wrote the book himself.
The book, like other slave narratives, has a preface written by two White abolitionists to attest to
this fact and add to its credibility.
Douglass begins his account by touching on his parentage. The little he knows about his
birth and parentage suggests his mother was raped by her White slave owner, and that Douglass,
like numerous other slaves, was a product of that liaison. The incident is only the first example
of a very common practice, that of white slave owners sexually assaulting their female slaves.
According to Douglass, the rape served two purposes. It satisfied the slave owner’s sexual
hunger while increasing their slave populations. The hypocrisy of these Christian slave owners is
underlined and brought into focus as a recurrent theme throughout the rest of the work.
In his formative years, Douglass serves as a slave for Captain Anthony and Colonel
Lloyd. During his time with them, he recounts how he had to survive on minimal rations and ill-
treatment. Also, he recounts the murder of a slave, which he along with others witnessed, making
note that the law and the community in general mostly ignore it. Through the story, Douglass

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manages to show how little value was attached to the lives of slaves. When he was about eight,
Douglass is sent to Baltimore to take care of the ill son of the Aulds. For a brief duration, the
lady of the house teaches the young slave to read, until she is forbidden from doing so by her
husband. However, Douglass uses ingenuity and sacrifice to learn to read and write all the same.
He discovers the abolitionist movement up North and aspires to escape to the relatively safer
Northern states.
Douglass’ narrative shows how disruptive slavery was to the slaves. Also, the book
manages to correct several misconceptions about slaves. Chief among these, Douglass argues
against the notion that a singing slave is a happy slave. He likens singing to crying, stating that
singing was a way in which the slaves could let loose and relief their sorrows. Aside from this,
we come to know of the cruel treatment that Douglass faced in the hands of Covey, a “slave
breaker” who makes a habit of cruelly and brutally whipping him. Eventually, Douglass fights
him off and is left alone. While the story testified to the value of standing up for oneself, in most
counts, Douglass was lucky to get away with it.
Another key theme that emerges is the opposition that Douglass faced in trying to
highlight the plight of slaves. While in Boston, Douglass toured and gave speeches speaking out
against the brutality and injustice of slavery, and in support of the abolitionist movement. Quite
often, Douglass was faced with hostile opposition with most of the white people in the audience
maintaining that he was a liar. While this was only a short while after his escape from slavery,
other former slaves suggested that Douglass should limit himself to relating the “facts” of his
experience. The task of communicating the rhetoric, philosophy, and persuasive argument for the
abolitionist movement, he could leave to others. Douglass also highlights the system of values

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that slavery created, where slaves bore allegiance to their masters more than they did to their
fellow slaves.