Key Facts
full title · Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass,
An American Slave, Written by Himself
author · Frederick Douglass
type of work · Autobiography
genre · Slave narrative; bildungsroman
language · English
time and place written · 1845; Massachusetts
date of first publication · 1845
publisher · American Anti-Slavery Society
narrator · Frederick Douglass
point of view · Douglass writes in the first person
tone · Douglass's tone is generally straightforward and engaged,
as befits a philosophical treatise or a political position paper.
He also occasionally uses an ironic tone, or the tone of someone emotionally
overcome.
tense · Past
setting (time) · 1818–1841
setting (place) · Eastern Shore of Maryland; Baltimore; New York City;
New Bedford, Massachusetts
protagonist · Frederick Douglass
major conflict · Douglass struggles to free himself, mentally and physically,
from slavery.
rising action · At the age of ten or eleven, Douglass is sent to live
in Baltimore with Hugh and Sophia Auld. Douglass overhears a conversation between
them and comes to understand that whites maintain power over black
slaves by keeping them uneducated. Douglass resolves to educate
himself and escape from slavery. However, he is later taken from
the Aulds and placed with Edward Covey, a slave “breaker,” for a
year. Under Covey's brutal treatment, Douglass loses his desire
to learn and escape.
climax · Douglass decides to fight back against Covey's brutal
beatings. The shocked Covey does not whip Douglass ever again.
falling action · Douglass is hired to William Freeland, a relatively
kinder master. Douglass starts educating his fellow slaves and planning
his escape. Douglass's plan to escape is discovered. He is put in
jail and then sent back to Baltimore with the Aulds to learn a trade. Douglass
becomes a caulker and is eventually allowed to hire out his own
time. Douglass saves money and escapes to New York City, where he
marries Anna Murray, a free black woman from Baltimore. They move
to New Bedford, Massachusetts, where Douglass is eventually hired
as a lecturer for the American Anti-Slavery Society.
themes · Ignorance as a tool of slavery; knowledge as the path
to freedom; slavery's damaging effect on slaveholders; slaveholding
as a perversion of Christianity
motifs · The victimization of female slaves; the treatment of
slaves as property; freedom in the city
symbols · White-sailed ships; Sandy's root; The Columbian
Orator
foreshadowing · Douglass's concentration on the direction of steamboats traveling
to Philadelphia in Chapter VIII; Douglass's premonition that his
escape plans had been revealed in Chapter X
