Throughout the Narrative of Frederick Douglass, Douglass develops an image between true and false Christianity. Douglass demonstrates his point in the opening argument by calling the former “the Christianity of Christ” and the latter “the Christianity of this land.” Douglass describes the ordeal that slaveholders’ Christianity is not a given evidence of natural goodness, but an artificial state of self-righteous brutality. To tackle this variation, Douglass states a common indifference between what is known as the charitable, peaceful beliefs of Christianity and the negative of violence from the immoral actions in which slaveholders bring. The character that is described as a good example for this theme is Thomas Auld. For instance, Sophia …show more content…
The corrupt and irresponsible power that the slave owners use and endure over their slaves is detrimental and has a massive effect on the slave owners’ own moral health. The theme helps the image of slavery as seen by Douglass’ explaining it as beyond natural for the victims involved. Douglass also describes a behavioral pattern that slaveholders have as it portrays the hurting effect of slavery. He points to how many slave-owning men have been tempted to pursue adultery and rape, becoming fathers of the born children with their female slaves. Such action and deceit threatens the unity of the slave owner’s family. The father is left with the gruesome decision to either sell or undoubtedly punish his own child, while the slave owner’s wife becomes resentful and cruel. In similarities, slave owners such as Thomas Auld developed a perverted religious sense of mind to remind blind to the sins that are committed in their own home. Douglass’ main picture of this corruption of slave owners is Sophia Auld. The misuse of power in slaveholding transforms Sophia from the idealistic woman into a known sinner. By showing these effects of slaveholding on Thomas and Sophia Auld, and others, Douglass implies that slavery should be outlawed for the greater good of all