The Heroic Slave

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of physical abuse, death, and racism. 

Douglass’s titular character of “The Heroic Slave” is presented through the perspectives of other white characters. The structure includes many instances of overhearing. In Part 1, Mr. Listwell listens to Madison Washington’s lamentations in the woods. This moment causes Listwell to become an abolitionist; listening is crucial for strong allyship. In Part 2, Listwell reveals that he eavesdropped; he “frankly disclose[s] the secret” to Madison in Ohio five years later (10). At this point, Listwell speaks and listens directly rather than eavesdropping. In Part 3, Listwell eavesdrops on white people in a tavern. In this moment, he learns that his safety relies on his silence about his abolitionist views.

Another structural element of “The Heroic Slave” is dialogue that resembles the structure of a play’s script. There are character names followed by their comments—for example, “Listwell: ‘What may I call your name, sir?’ Loafer: ‘Well, now, they call me Wilkes’” (28). The dialogue tags continue to refer to Wilkes as the “Loafer” after this exchange. This direct dialogue contrasts with how Listwell overhears people. This structure doesn’t appear in Part 4; the dialogue tags are no longer located in front of the quotes when sailors converse—for instance, “‘I say, shipmate, you had rather rough weather on your passage to Orleans?’ said Jack Williams” (40). This is a classic prose structure instead of a play structure.

The events of “The Heroic Slave” take place between 1835 and 1841. The setting of the story is Virginia, Ohio, and Nassau. Douglass focuses on Virginia, around Richmond, for most of the story: Parts 1, 3, and 4. Each of these parts is set in a different location: the first is in the woods, the third in a tavern and enslavement auction, and the fourth in the Marine Coffee-house. In contrast, Douglass briefly presents Ohio in Part 2 as a place where Madison can receive aid from Listwell. The North has more abolitionists, such as Listwell’s friends, while the South is where Listwell has to pretend that he isn’t an abolitionist. The ocean near Nassau is outside of the legal boundaries of the American North and South. Tom relays Madison’s words after commandeering the ship: “Mr. Mate, you cannot write the bloody laws of slavery on those restless billows. The ocean, if not the land, is free” (48). The sense of freedom that Madison experienced after taking over the enslavement ship increased after he reached Nassau. The British-controlled region condemned enslavement wholly and would not let the enslavement ship sailors persecute the rebellious enslaved people.

One of Douglass’s central themes is The Pursuit of Liberty. He explicitly and repeatedly connects the struggle of enslaved people for their liberty with the American Revolution’s struggle for liberty. The repetition of the word “liberty” connects the story to the rhetoric of the Pledge of Allegiance, which contains the phrase “liberty and justice for all.” This is how Douglass argues that fighting for liberty is inherently American and positive. On the enslavement ship, Madison said,

God as my witness that Liberty, not malice, is the motive for this night’s work […] We have struck for our freedom, and if a true man’s heart be in you, you will honor us for the deed. We have done that which you applaud your fathers for doing, and if we are murderers, so were they (46).

Here, “fathers” refers to the Founding Fathers of America, such as Thomas Jefferson. These men are considered heroes by most people in the US. This connection is one way that Douglass characterizes Madison; he is similar to Jefferson in his pursuit of liberty.

Another theme in “The Heroic Slave” is Presenting Models of White Allyship. Both Listwell and Tom Grant are role models for other white people, as both end up strongly condemning enslavement. Listwell, inspired by Madison’s overheard prayers, aids him in getting to Canada. Listwell gives Madison a place to rest in Ohio, assuring him that he is “safe under [Listwell’s] roof” (9). At this point, Listwell also gives Madison money and supplies, which help him seek freedom. Later, Listwell gives Madison three files, which allow him and his fellow captives to escape an enslavement ship. These are model behaviors for someone fighting racist violence, and these acts give Listwell emotional satisfaction, propagating the idea that the 19th-century reader would also feel good about helping enslaved people emancipate themselves. On the other hand, Tom decides to quit working on enslavement ships after experiencing Madison’s rebellion. Like Listwell, Tom has listened to Madison’s persuasive words. Tom is an example of someone directly involved in the “peculiar institution” of enslavement who recognizes the evil nature of the work and changes his ideological stance. This offered an important model at a time when white oppressors needed to renounce their anti-Black ways.

Douglass’s third theme is The Horrors of Enslavement. He illustrates the subhuman conditions in which enslaved people were forced to live. These include being whipped for frivolous or imagined reasons, such as working in a mill for longer than the enslaver would have liked. Enslaved people were also punished for having money. For instance, Madison explains how he gave an old Black man money to help him, and when the old man tried to spend the dollar, he was whipped 39 times. Another white man had to stop the man doing the whipping, saying, “You’ve already whipped a dollar’s worth out of him, even if he stole it” (20). The wounds from the lashings were treated with brine, and enslaved people were suspended helplessly as they were whipped. Families were separated, such as Madison and his wife, Susan, and he was punished for trying to rescue her. She was killed during her attempted self-emancipation. Douglass includes these violent details about enslavers’ treatment of enslaved people in his story to advocate for abolition.

Douglass also uses several forms of symbolism from nature, including animal, fire, and celestial/atmospheric symbolism. He uses animals to illustrate how enslaved people are viewed as lesser than the simplest creature. In particular, birds appear several times. For instance, Madison laments that “[t]hose birds […] are still [his] superiors. They live free, though they may die slaves. They fly where they list by day, and retire in freedom at night” (3). They are literally above him in the sky, as well as freer than he is in their movement; they symbolize freedom as a natural state. Birds are also used to represent sailors; the phrase “[o]cean birds” refers to them. They, like the birds Madison discusses, are free. Instead of traveling in the sky, they travel freely in the water. Additionally, Douglass uses lion symbolism to describe both a person and a nation. Madison’s movements “seem[] to combine, with the strength of a lion, a lion’s elasticity” (4). The lion represents how he moves stealthily and powerfully. The lion also represents England, which didn’t allow chattel enslavement. Other animal symbols include a snake, an eagle, dogs, and cats.

Douglass uses fire symbolism to describe the destruction of the natural world. Madison was happy to live in the forest near his wife, who visited him regularly. However, he was forced to leave this home because of a fire. Madison says, “Many a poor wandering fugitive, who, like myself, had sought among wild beasts the mercy denied by our fellow men, saw, in helpless consternation, his dwelling-place and city of refuge reduced to ashes forever” (15). He was denied sanctuary in nature by this fire; it is a symbol of loss and devastation.

Finally, Douglass explores the symbolism of the skies. The north star has been consistently associated with enslaved people seeking freedom in the Northern US states and Canada. This star guided enslaved people, and Madison calls it his “beloved star.” However, meteorological events can obscure it. The tempest that the enslavement ship encountered obscured the sky. The storm was more powerful than even the “peculiar institution” of enslavement. The sailors and self-emancipated people “[f]or a while […] had dearer interests to look after than slave property” (47). This is an example of the conflict of humans versus nature taking precedence over the conflict between enslavers and the enslaved. Surviving a storm became more important than profiting from enslavement.