Frederick Douglass Passage Analysis

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Douglass bathing in the river alludes to the Christian ceremony of a baptism where the person is reborn in order to depict a turning point in his life from agony to hope of freedom which he aspires to achieve in Baltimore. Upon receiving news of his future travel to Baltimore, Douglass was instructed by Mrs. Lucretia, his mistress, that he needed to look presentable. Douglass then enthusiastically spent three days in the creek vigorously cleaning off dead skin that he describes as, “The happiest days I have ever enjoyed. I spent most part of all these three days in the creek, washing off the plantation scurf, and preparing myself for departure” (60). Via this experience, the author alludes to the Bible in the sense of baptismal, ritual cleansing …show more content…
The plantation often serves as a place of great horror in regards to the treatment of the slaves who regularly get whipped and are hardly given enough clothing or food for the harsh conditions. In contrast, Douglass’s cousin, Tom depicts an eloquent image of Baltimore that exceeds even the Great House, a symbol of pride to the slaves. After Douglass’s “baptism” one can clearly see a drastic change in his quality of living, he even admits, “Going to Baltimore laid the foundation, and opened the gateway, to all my subsequent prosperity” (62). In Baltimore, slaves are treated better, and it is an easier place from which to escape to freedom. In addition, Douglass begins to be taught by his naive mistress, Mrs. Auld, how to read. Despite this interaction being abruptly stopped, he continues to persevere in his quest for literacy ultimately resulting in his freedom. The purpose behind Douglass’s use of a biblical allusion of baptism is to better convey to the reader his upcoming switch of fate, which in return powerfully demonstrates the importance of being transferred to Baltimore in Douglass’s first step in achieving
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