I was extremely disturbed by two occurrences, among many others, during the period: the fact that mothers were separated from their children to discourage bonding between mother and child and that the practice of rape by slave masters was prosperous for them, as it would increase the number of slaves under their hand.

“I never saw my mother, to know her as such, more than four or five times in my life; and each of these times was very short in duration, and at night… She made her journeys to see me in the night, travelling the whole distance on foot, after the performance of her day’s work… I do not recollect of ever seeing my mother by the light of day. She was with me in the night. She would lie down with me, and get me to sleep, but long before I waked she was gone” (13). Forcing a mother and child to be separated is horrible. I remember when I was very young (perhaps around the same age as Douglass was in this passage) I would be comforted by the mere fact that my mother was nearby. To take that sense of security from a child, and keep him away from his mother’s love is cruel. However, Douglass explains that he did not feel such a connection with his mother. Because he was separated from her in an early age, he has been unable to form a close relationship with her. When she dies, he is not as affected as a child would be expected to. The fact that children of slaves were not able to feel close to their mother was so saddening. They weren’t even given the chance. I can’t even imagine how painful it must have been for the mother to be so far from her child. It was heart wrenching to read about how Douglass’ mother would walk such a long distance at night, just to see him for a short time.

Another aspect of slavery that was so disturbing to me in the novel was how the children of a white man and a slave were viewed. “It is of but little consequence to my purpose whilst the fact remains, in all its glaring odiousness, that slaveholders have ordained, and by law established, that the children of slave women shall in all cases follow the condition of their mother; and that is done too obviously to administer to their own lusts, and make a gratification of their wicked desires profitable as well as pleasurable” (13). It was shocking how a wicked action could be accepted as a way to add to prosperity. And how could a father treat their child in such a way. Even considering that the slave masters were brought up in a community where such practices were acceptable, I cannot understand how they could have been so cruel.