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Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

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Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass William Freeland Character Analysis

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Characters Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass William Freeland Character Analysis

William Freeland is a poor slave owner who hires Douglass from Thomas Auld. Douglass notes that although Freeland is relatively fair and reasonable in how he treats the slaves who work for him, working for Freeland is not the same as being on “free land.” Douglass uses Freeland’s kindness to demonstrate that the injustices of slavery are not due to individual masters but to the entire system being immoral. Douglass attributes Freeland’s behavior to his education, using him to further his argument that knowledge is an important key to freedom and agency. Freeland is intelligent enough to recognize that if he wants work to be done, he needs to provide conditions conducive to work. Therefore, he sets predictable expectations and reasonable work hours, provides good quality tools, and offers both plenty of food and time to eat it. However, Freeland’s behavior tacitly admits that slaves deserve dignity, that they are, in fact, people and not animals, while nevertheless still asserting his right to own them. It’s notable that it’s Freeland’s farm, not Covey’s, that Douglass first attempts to escape from. The imperfect dignity Freeland offers him is almost more insulting than degradation.

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