refers to one of her slaves, “What! Our Tom! ---That good, faithful, creature! ---been your faithful servant from a boy!” Douglass brought the humanity of slaves to life in his story. He told stories of slaveholders whose specific objective was to ‘break’ slaves and who believed that a slave was like an animal, not human in any form. Master Covey is an example of this kind of mean-hearted and animalistic slaveholder. “Mr. Covey succeeded in breaking me—in body, soul, and spirit. My natural elasticity was crushed; my intellect languished the disposition to read departed, the cheerful spark that lingered about y eye died out; the dark night of slavery closed in upon me, and behold a man transformed to a brute!” Throughout Douglass’ experiences with Master Covey, however, we saw that he was more human than any of the slaveholders he encountered. He experienced the same kinds of emotions we would experience if we were in his position. Even more so, he survived this horrific treatment, something I don’t think I could have done. This kind of proof that black (as well as native American) people are human too is not needed in our society today, but back when this narrative was published, these descriptions may have taught the ignorant a thing or two about their beliefs about slaves and it may have helped them to understand that supporting slavery was wrong.Stowe depicts how even good, ‘Christian’ people get caught up in the wrongs of society, and tend to justify unjust things in their minds as long as others accept them. Mr. Shelby keeps Mrs. Shelby sheltered from his business affairs (slave trading) because he knows that, although she too enjoys the luxury of the help the slaves provide, she is opposed to breaking her helpers’ family apart. When Mrs. Shelby confronts Mr. Shelby on the matter of trading Eliza’s son he replies, “Well, since you must kno...
