Slavery, slave system
The main theme of the novel is surely slavery and all the bondage which this “institution” implies. The main character tells a story of his life, and presents detailed descriptions of his life as a slave. But he delves deeper in his contemplations of slavery and the slave system than only retelling what he has come through when being a slave. The essence of the very slave system is rooted in absence of humanity and goes years back when his ancestors were stolen from Africa and brought to America with a purpose to be sold as property. But with years passed the essence of slavery became wider in its interpretation and slavery itself becomes an institution and is often personified by the narrator: “Slavery can change a saint into a sinner, and an angel into a demon”. With consideration upon slavery system the narrator does not blame the slaveholders as, ti his opinion, they are the victims of the slavery the same way as the slaves. It is absence of humanity which is to be blamed.
Family
The theme of family can be traced in the beginning of the narrative, but the this theme opens up the ideas of absence of the family as a social institution. A common slave rarely knows his parents, and if even knows he feels no much affection as the very idea of sacredness of family is obliterated, and such a method is considered very effective, as few attachments make the slave more dependable not in flesh but in mind – and it is the best way to tame the slave for life – to completely ensure him not to be necessary beyond the slave system.
Violence
The images of violence performed against the slaves are vividly scattered through the entire novel. Severe floggings, whippings, and beatings were common things. These methods are proved to be the best educational ones in making a slave obedient. Along with whippings violence against slaves is performed in hunger – the slaveholders often tend to starve their slaves – they give them enough food to stay alive, but not enough to stay satisfied. The narrator portrays how he himself had to come into combat with a dog for the smallest crumbs, or how he saw a slave-girl fighting with the pigs on the street for the offal.
Knowledge
It is knowledge which is depicted as a “pathway to freedom”. The narrator understand the value of ability to read and write, and more values are in the very information which is obtained through these abilities. Knowledge helped him to escape from slavery, and helped to resist the very ideas of slavery as an institution.
brutality and dehumanization of slavery
Douglass doesn't shy away from portraying the physical and emotional toll of slavery. He describes whippings, family separations, and the constant threat of violence.
importance of education:
Learning to read and write becomes a turning point for Douglass. Education empowers him, fosters his fight for freedom, and allows him to become a voice for the abolitionist movement.
