Thursday, February 12, 2015
Sharp characterizations are a very literary aspect of Douglass's "Narrative of the Life." Not only are the slaves, masters and overseers individuals but they also serve as symbols for the framework of slaveholding society. When introducing the overseer Mr. Gore, Douglass paints a vivid picture : "Mr. Gore was proud, ambitious and persevering. He was artful, cruel and obdurate. He was just the man for such a place And it was just the place for such a man . . ." (1191) and he went on to describe the hold Gore had on the slaves. In fact, it reminded me of Douglass's contemporary, Charles Dickens and the villains Dickens depicted. The different overseers seem to serve as literary symbols for the "degree" of cruelty different overseers or masters subjected slaves to. All of them are corrupted by slavery, but Douglass adds nuance to his narrative by complicating each one.
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I think the sharp characterization you mention is part of what gives Douglass's narrative the feel of a coming-of-age tale or a bildungsroman. Despite the fact that were only briefly acquainted with many of the characters presented in the narrative, Douglass still manages to imbue his characters with essential sparks that stick in the mind of his readers. This is not only a beneficial literary characteristic, but also likely another component of Douglass's method of swaying his readers towards the side of abolition.
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