Recently in lecture and discussion, we have been focusing in on the Civil War in the context of “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass.” We have also been learning about the metaphorical war (as opposed to the physical war that comes to our mind as soon as the word “war” is muttered), which is a conflict that occurs without physical battle and whose significance is derived from its purpose and meaning. The antebellum period preceding the Civil War housed an interminable, metaphorical war against slavery, which can be said to have escalated into the bloody conflict that was the actual war years later. Douglass’s struggles as young mulatto boy born into slavery, illustrated in his narrative are, to this day, an excellent representation of this metaphorical war from the perspective of a slave. It can be considered one of the contingent factors that opened the eyes of the white North to the injustices of slavery and eventually led to the institution’s abolition.
A highly emotional work, one of the most significant literary elements of the narrative is Douglass’s poignant usage of pathos to tug on the heartstrings and instill a sense of disgust and sympathy in its readers. For example, in Chapter 6, Douglass suddenly makes a huge shift from a hellish and rather lugubrious depiction of slave life and white slave owners to a surprisingly tender and comforting description of his new mistress, only to disappointingly shift back into more morose, brutal language. The chapter opens on a happy and blissful note, using more positive language that had not yet been seen in the book, praising his mistress as “a woman of the kindest heart and finest feelings,” describing how “her face was made of heavenly smiles, and her voice of tranquil music,” and even going so far as to say that “the meanest slave was put fully at ease in her presence, and none left without feeling better for having her.” The entire first paragraph is dedicated to this lofty, flowery, romantic illustration of one of the first positive white figures in his life and puts the reader at ease momentarily. However, this moment is fleeting, as transient as a dream, and it may as well have been one, because immediately following this paragraph, Douglass shifts back into a more gloomy lexicon, dramatically writing of the sad brutalization of his mistress, and how “that cheerful eye, under the influence of slavery, soon became red with rage” and “that angelic face gave place to that of a demon.” The pages of Douglass’s novel are practically overflowing with pathos and extremely emotional language and tonal shifts. It may be without a doubt that such a poignant work was a major catalyst behind change in the general perception of slavery and a shift towards change in the metaphorical war against the institution.