In both the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass and Beloved by Toni Morrison, the abuse of power by slave masters and their tendencies to turn into monstrous human beings is depicted. In the Narrative, the true story of an actual past slave, Frederick Douglass recounts his factual experience with brutal slave owners. This historical truth is also portrayed in Beloved by protagonist Sethe. While the author was not writing from personal experience as a slave, she rendered the experience artistically in Beloved through the eyes and life of Sethe. While both stories showcase different perspectives, they are each able to depict powers ability to corrupt its wielder, at this time being the enslavers.
In the Narrative, Frederick Douglass personally experienced the transformation of several slave …show more content…
While at Colonel Lloyd 's plantation, Frederick was taken in by the overseers wife, Mrs. Auld. She began teaching him how to read and spared him of merciless consequences; Mrs. Auld appeared to be the rare exception of a white person who cared for slaves. However, Frederick Douglass’s experience changed drastically with the women as she became more immersed in slavery: “When I was there, [Mrs. Auld] was a pious, warm, and tender-hearted woman… she had bread for the hungry, clothes for the naked… Slavery soon proved its ability to divest her of these heavenly qualities… under its influences, her tender heart became stone” (66). Frederick was able to feel the change in Mrs. Auld and deemed the perpetrator of the transformation slavery. Mrs. Auld stopped giving and helping others and became cold; Douglass could not justify that as a natural phenomenon. Additionally, Douglass experienced the torture of reverend Rigby Hopkins. While a preacher and a man of religion who was respected as a kind person in society, Reverend Hopkins heart was cold and evil when given the power over slaves. Frederick
In the Narrative, Frederick Douglass personally experienced the transformation of several slave …show more content…
While at Colonel Lloyd 's plantation, Frederick was taken in by the overseers wife, Mrs. Auld. She began teaching him how to read and spared him of merciless consequences; Mrs. Auld appeared to be the rare exception of a white person who cared for slaves. However, Frederick Douglass’s experience changed drastically with the women as she became more immersed in slavery: “When I was there, [Mrs. Auld] was a pious, warm, and tender-hearted woman… she had bread for the hungry, clothes for the naked… Slavery soon proved its ability to divest her of these heavenly qualities… under its influences, her tender heart became stone” (66). Frederick was able to feel the change in Mrs. Auld and deemed the perpetrator of the transformation slavery. Mrs. Auld stopped giving and helping others and became cold; Douglass could not justify that as a natural phenomenon. Additionally, Douglass experienced the torture of reverend Rigby Hopkins. While a preacher and a man of religion who was respected as a kind person in society, Reverend Hopkins heart was cold and evil when given the power over slaves. Frederick