Frederick Douglasss Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass - Essay Example

Frederick Douglass’s Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Frederick Douglass’s Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave is an autobiographical account of the twenty years of the author’s life which he had spent as a slave serving under many masters. The author’s narrative gives an idea about the cruelties and tortures inflicted upon the African-American slave community by their fair-skinned American masters. On the other hand, the story Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne is an account of a young fictitious couple: Goodman Brown and his wife Faith. It depicts how the evil spirit inside human beings lures them into committing acts of sin, which adversely affects their relationship with their loved ones. Therefore, both the accounts have explored the dark side of human nature and its manifestation in man’s behavior. There are positive as well as negative forces ruling the human mind and people usually enhance their intrinsic positive powers through prayers and good deeds to keep the negative influences under control. If these antagonistic forces are allowed to flourish, they can wreak havoc on people’s minds and urge them to behave in a devilish manner. The evil spirit resides within all human beings and if it is not subjugated properly, it compels men to commit acts of crime. These actions can harm other persons directly or can impede the sinner’s relationship with his beloved people. Douglass begins his account by reminiscing about some memories of his childhood. Though he knew that he was born in Tuckahoe, Hillsborough in Talbot County, he never had an idea about his age. His master had never felt the need to inform him and whenever Douglass had gone to him with such a query, it had been turned down. The author confesses that this had created confusion in his young mind. The neighboring fair-skinned children could all tell their respective ages, while Douglass was kept ignorant of the same. The author begins his autobiography on a despondent note which sets the tone for the narration of his miserable life which is to follow. The readers can almost sense that his unhappy childhood would lead the way into a depressing adult life. There is something secretive about his pedigree which Douglass’s master refused to let him know. This sense of secrecy raises doubts about the character and intensions of his master. They somehow indicate that Douglas’s owner is not an honest man. Thus, as Douglas’s account portrays the emergence of the negative human traits overshadowing the positive forces, the stage is almost set to exhibit how these negative forces can bring out devilish behavior in humans. Similarly, Hawthorne’s story young Goodman Brown also begins on an ominous note. The author depicts his protagonist Goodman Brown leaving behind his newly-married young wife ‘Faith’ to embark on a serious errand. Faith tells her husband that she had been subject to a worrying dream the previous nights and requests Brown to stay back with her, lest any danger befalls them: “Pray tarry with me this night, dear husband, of all nights in the year”. (Hawthorne, 2). However, all Faith’s efforts fall in vain as Brown proceeds on his important task. Therefore, the story begins with an aura of inevitable doom engulfing its two main characters. This incident almost acts as a premonition of the incidents that unfold later in the story. The readers are filled with a sense of hesitancy as the protagonist ignores his wife’s requests to accomplish a predetermined duty. Hawthorne has given a symbolic name to his female protagonist where ‘Faith’ actually represents Goodman Brown’s belief in God. As Brown leaves behind Faith to stay alone at night, it is as if he severs himself from his own belief in the positive powers of the Allmighty. Brown knows that he is proceeding to work with dishonest men; he calls himself a “wretch” as he hurries on “his present evil purpose” (Hawthorne, 3). Therefore, the inherent goodness of Brown is overcome by the negative forces inside him, which later results in the disintegration of his belief system (Douglass, 19, Hawthorne 1-4). Douglass’s autobiography describes his experiences of his life which he had spent as a slave serving different masters. It gives an idea about the atrocities that the “white” slave owners used to inflict upon their ‘black” workers. The author’s first master: Captain Anthony was an inhuman slave owner. It was during this time that Douglas was first exposed to a “bloody transaction” where witnessed the brutal whipping of Aunt Hester by his master. Captain Anthony had an equally cruel overseer Mr. Plummer who “was a miserable drunkard, a profane swearer and a savage monster” (Douglass, 19).The inhuman cruelty of the slave owners in those days raises doubts about the intrinsic goodness of the soul which is considered to be present in every human being. However, negative traits also reside side by side their righteous counterparts and when man fails to suppress them, the evil forces start creating havoc on the human mind. Man’s character becomes subjugated by the evil spirit which is reflected in his devilish behavior. A classic example was the slave owners who Douglas had encountered in his life. Once the author went to serve the family of Captain Thomas Auld, who used to provide his slaves with very meagre allowances for the latter’s food and clothing. When Mrs. Auld tried to provide basic education to Douglas, his master immediately halted her efforts declaring that “learning would spoil the best nigger in the world, and it would forever unfit him to be a slave.” (Douglass 79). This was the general attitude of the slave owners towards their African-American workers. It seemed as if they were possessed by some evil spirit which had eroded them of all their humane feelings. Echoing a similar theme, Hawthorne’s story depicts how the character of Goodman Brown is continuously engaged in a combat between the positive and antagonistic elements inside him and is ultimately enslaved by the evil forces. As Brown’s begins his journey through the dark and gloomy forest, his thoughts are filled with unknown fears. He expresses doubt over the unseen presence of evil around him and even fears that the devil could be walking by his side. Brown’s thoughts represent the presence of evil forces in the human mind. There is a constant struggle between the positive and evil thoughts within the mind and human actions are influenced by the predominating force. Later Brown meets a fellow traveler, who seems to be an honest and respectable man. His belief receives a rude shock when he discovers the “devilish” character of his companion. This again depicts the preeminence of the evil over the honest forces. Brown’s original honorable opinion about the traveler, is shattered by the revelation of the latter’s negative persona. Brown receives another shock when he discovers that ‘Goody Cloyse’ whom he had considered to be a pious woman, is seen siding with Brown’s devilish companion. Persons considered trustworthy are often discovered to be dishonest people in real life. Goodman Brown’s faith receives yet another blow when he discovers two holy men: the minister and Deacon Gookin discussing their plans of attending an unholy communal meeting. Brown’s faith in God was shaken as he looked up to the sky wondering if there really was a heaven above him. Hawthorne has presented an ironical description of the character of a normal human being gradually being consumed by his intrinsic evil forces. (Douglas, 15-19, 73-79; Hawthorne, 5-17). As the evil spirit completely engulfs human nature, man begins to exhibit his devilish behavior. Accustomed to his wicked ways he becomes completely oblivious to the consequences of his inhuman conduct. In his account, Douglas gradually reveals a startling fact to his readers. He discovers that he was the son of a African-American slave woman, and her fair-skinned master. Slave owners used their women workers to satisfy their sexual needs which also ensured the expansion of the slave population. This was an example of one of the worst cases of slave oppression and was actually a manifestation of the devilish ways of the slave masters. On a similar note, Hawthorne’s story also marks the triumph of the evil over the good inside the human character. Goodman Brown’s belief in God receives a final blow when he discovers his wife ‘Faith’ among the group of sinners in the communal meeting. He discovers the pink ribbon of her cap fluttering in the wind which may have been an indication of her unfaithful behavior. Brown loved his wife dearly and on this final revelation, he becomes insane with rage. He seemed to have turned into a complete devil himself as the forest surroundings reverberated with his demonic laughter. Hawthorne has presented an ironic portrayal of a human character completely consumed by the evil spirit. (Douglass 3-12; Hawthorne 15-27) These literary works of Frederick Douglass and Nathaniel Hawthorne represent a hard fact of human behavior. The accounts are replete with instances of the predominance of the evil forces over the positive powers. Though, this may not be a desirable state of affairs, this has often observed to be the outcome in real life. The human mind is always engaged in a dilemma between the good and the negative thoughts and unless man can suppress his antagonist intensions, they can destroy his personality. References 1. Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, USA, Harvard University Press, 2009 2. Hawthorne Nathaniel. Young Goodman Brown, USA, Wildslide Press LC, 2005. Read More