Throughout the Narrative, Douglass mentions accounts where slavery damages the slaveholder’s family as well. While women of the Narrative, such as Sophia Auld generate sympathy, males are often depicted as the crueler sex. The male slaveholders of Douglass’s Narrative all appear to be already schooled in the vice of slavery. It was Auld that infected our kind Sophia with the ideals of slavery and it is also the male who is tempted to adultery and rape, fathering children with their female slaves. Douglass describes that through slavery, it has become natural for “a man to sell his own children to human fleshmongers” (1894), because if he doesn’t obey this standard, he will be forced to “stand by and see one white son tie up his brother, of but few shades darker complexion than himself, and ply the gory lash to his naked back” (1894). By inserting the comment on skin color, Douglass is not only reinforcing the idea that the slave institution jeopardizes the natural harmony between family members, but that it is completely absurd because it is based on a slight difference in complexion. The family structure is transformed and once again, slavery has successfully prompted the unnatural to take place.
The corruptions produced by slavery are also depicted between the dangerous alliance of slaveholder and Christianity. Douglass recalls Auld’s religious conversion and his hope that perhaps the seminar would be able to make his master more kind and humane. Sadly, when slavery is involved, the results are unexpected. Douglass compares, “Prior to his conversion, he relied upon his own depravity to shield and sustain him in his savage barbarity; but after his conversion, he found religious sanction and support for his slaveholding cruelty” (1916-1917); this before and after comparison is laden with irony. Many consider it natural for religion to be a supernatural force that gives strength and guidance to those in their times of need. While Thomas Auld has found this strength in religion, it is for the most unnatural purposes. Even more scandalous is Auld’s use of the Scripture as a way to justify his cruel behavior. During one of the graphic scenes of the victimization of female slaves, Auld’s misuse of religion becomes evident. To justify his deeds, “he would quote this passage of Scripture—‘He that knoweth his mater’s will, and doeth it not, shall be beaten with many stripes” (1917). Here, Douglass seems to imply that slavery has indeed given Auld the title of “master”; however, slavery is an unnatural institution and thus, Auld’s transformation from incompetent and powerless master to strong upstanding Christian is unnatural as well.
Douglass also uses his next master, Edward Covey, to present an example of a slave owner perverting Christianity. Covey, just like Auld, considers himself a pious and upstanding Christian man. When Douglass first hears of Covey, he is described as “a professor of religion—a pious soul—a member and a class-leader in the Methodist church” (1918). However, this pope-like quality, combined with “his reputation as a ‘nigger breaker’” falsifies Covey’s faith and illustrates the negative effects of slaveholding on slave owners. Through Covey, Douglass gives his readers a plethora of examples that illustrate the distinction between true Christianity and false Christianity. First, he presents many of the strengths and capabilities that Covey possesses. He “had acquired a very high reputation for breaking young slaves, and this reputation was of immense value to him” (1918). Accomplishments are a natural thing to take pride in; whether it is in music, sports, or dancing. However, Covey’s skill with “breaking young slaves” is a most unnatural thing to take pride in; he prides in scourging human flesh until the person is senseless and coerced to obey his unreasonable demands. Moreover, Covey continuously behaves deceitfully even in regard to his religion. In fact, his power to deceive was considered one of his greatest strengths because in “every thing he possessed in the shape of learning or religion, he made conform to his disposition to deceive” (1920). Covey’s commitment to slavery has transformed Christianity and religion into nothing more than a tool that convinces himself that he is a faithful man. Even though he is guilty of blatant sins such as adultery, he deceives himself with elaborate displays of piety in order to preserve his sense of moral righteousness. Douglass presents this self-deception as a truly damaging was of life by drawing parallels between the Devil and Covey, who was secretly referred to as “the snake” by his slaves (1920). Covey’s cunning and deceitful manner toward his slaves has transformed him into the figure of Satan, undermining his professions of piety. Through these examples, Douglass shows that a slaveholder’s Christianity is not evidence of their innate goodness, but merely a hypocritical show that serves to bolster their self-righteous brutality.
Finally, the Narrative also shows the narrator’s own transformations due to the unnatural situations he is placed in and the physically and psychologically damaging effects of the slaveholding institution. Much of Douglass’ childhood experiences center around identity loss due to slavery. He remembers, “I have no accurate knowledge of my age…by far the larger part of the slaves know as little of their ages as horses know of theirs” (1892). Birthday and age are two of the most fundamental pieces of information that identify an individual. By taking that away from a person renders him in likeness to an animal. Furthermore, all Douglass remembers about his parents is “my father was a white man…My mother and I were separated when I was but an infant—before I knew her as my mother” (1893). Douglass really hones in his point with the following, “It is a common custom to part children from their mothers at an early age…to hinder the development of the child’s affection toward its mother. This is the inevitable result” (1893). Douglass’ sentences are short and simple; however, his point is made. As narrator, Douglass is sometimes a strong character and at other times, a sidelined presence—nevertheless, both are used to give readers a growing understanding of the social injustice of slavery with them. In this case, he explains that slavery robs children of their natural sense of individual identity. Moreover, Douglass explains through his own experiences that this separation breaks “the ties that ordinarily bind children to their homes” (1904). The slave system transforms healthy infants into orphans. Douglass proceeds to interpret such practices as a method for slaveholders to maintain control over their slaves. Even when the infant has matured into an adult, he is still treated as inferior and property: “We were all ranked together at the valuation. Men and women, old and young, married and single, were ranked with horses, sheep, and swine…At this moment, I saw more clearly than ever the brutalizing effects of slavery upon both slave and slaveholder” (1912). Once again, we perceive an irony that points to the absurdity of slavery as it transforms humans into animals. Nothing else could be more unnatural.
Finally, we look into Douglass’ own personal transformations. The protagonist Douglass exists in the Narrative as a character in process and flux, formed and reformed by pivotal scenes. The first one is Captain Anthony’s whipping of Aunt Hester which introduces Douglass to the physical and psychic cruelty of slavery. The second is when he becomes committed to literacy after Hugh Auld’s order that Sophia Auld cease teaching him. Douglass is then reintegrated into slavery and loses his desire to learn at Hugh Auld’s order and at Covey’s. “The dark night of slavery close in upon me; and behold a man transformed into a brute!” Finally, Douglass reestablishes a sense of self justice through his fight with Covey. “You have seen how a man was made a slave; you shall now see how a slave was made a man.” Douglass thus emerges as a figure formed negatively by slavery and cruelty, and positively by literacy education and a controlled but aggressive insistence on rights.
As the representative slave, Douglass portrays for the reader an autobiography as well as a treatise against slavery. Throughout the Narrative is the recurrent structure: Douglass presents his personal experience as a typical slave experience, then makes an analytical point about the experience
In addition, he uses his own personal account to show detrimental transformations of his character as shaped by the slaveholding institution.
