“Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass” is a memoir written by one of the most famous ex-slaves of the times, Fredrick Douglass. The book is often called the best description of the former slave in the history. Before the story begins reader is given an insight in the preface by the famous leader William Loyd Garrison who basically sets the tone of the narrative.

At the beginning of his book Fredrick Douglass is giving some information about the fact that he knows little about the date of his birth or his parents. He tells the reader that his father is a slave owner while his mother, Harriet Bailey, is a slave herself. Throughout the story Douglass will numerously highlights the fact of white slave owners raping their slaves. There were two reasons behind this cruelty: firstly, to satisfy sexual desires and, secondly, to make sure slave populations was growing. In the first chapter of the narrative Fredrick Douglass brings readers’ attention to a low morale fact of Christian slave owners trying to justify their deeds through the religious teachings. His mother died when he was only seven years old and many people believed that the boy was a slave of his own father.

In the next several chapters the writer is introducing the terrible conditions in which slaves lived at those times. Douglass being a slave of Colonel Lloyd and Captain Anthony, goes through numerous difficulties and cruelties. He often sees the injustice that slaves face. He is a witness of brutal killing and beatings of many. Once he witnessed a slave being killed and he is disgusted with the fact that this murder went unnoticeably in the face of law and human nature itself. One of the important parts of the narrative includes the singing of the slaves. He is totally against the notion that those slaves who sing were happy. He compares their singing to weeping and a way to lessen the sorrows. Fredrick Douglass goes on pointing to the reader a fact of an unjust system of values that slave owners use. He shows how much stronger are slave owners. The slaves had to behave in a certain way in front of their masters. They had to always tell the truth, otherwise, they were severely punished.

In the next section writer brings reader to Baltimore, Maryland. Fredrick Douglass is living with the Auld family and is taking care of their son. Mrs. Auld happens to be a very kind woman at the beginning. Young Douglass learns alphabet and is taking classes. He even starts having the faith in a better life. Mr. Auld at the same time greatly disagrees with his wife kindness and disapproves that the slave is learning how to read. He justifies this by saying that if slaves eventually learn how to read and read Bible, then they will not fit for being slaves. When young boy hears this, he truly understands the power of learning and reading. He starts trading his bread for the classes. Soon Douglass finds out about the abolitionist movements in the North of the country. He comes to understanding of a true meaning of the word “abolition” and decides to run away.
However, the boy does not run away and at the age of ten years old, when his master dies, Fredrick finds himself in a more difficult life situation. He is being landed from master to master and even returns again to Mr. Auld who treats him with a particular cruelty. At this point of life Douglass is highly regretting that he did not run away when this idea only started to develop in his mind. Eventually the boy is sent to Mr. Covey for a year and he is glad that at least he will be able to eat and not suffer from hunger.