Aunt Hester
appears near the end of chapter one, not in the first paragraph of the book. The appearance of
her character is significant because hers is the first instance of vivid and specific cruelty
toward a slave that Douglass shows us. It occurs early on for two reasons: first, it had
shocking effect on the young Douglass and second, it has a disturbing effect on the reader,
setting the tone for the rest of the book.
In this episode, the master
angrily takes Hester, an attractive young slave, rips her clothing off down to the waist, ties
her arms above her head, has her stand on a stool, and whips her until she is bloody in front of
other slaves, including Frederick. Her crime has been to leave the plantation to visit a fellow
slave (her boyfriend, Ned) without permission.
The violence and brutality of
the scene horrifies the young Douglass, who quickly runs and hides. It is not too much to say
the event was traumatic for him, filling him with the helpless fear he would be the next victim.
He had never seen anything like it before.
For the reading audience, the
brutality is all the more unforgivable because its victim is a young woman who is treated with
disproportionate cruelty. It is hard for us not to react with revulsion since the beating is
inflicted on a helpless woman and because it seems so excessive for merely disobeying a rule. We
quickly come down on the side of Hester, who doesn't seem to deserve such cruel and inhumane
treatment.
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