Freedom

Freedom is an intangible concept; there are many who are never technically enslaved, and yet are not free. There are also degrees of freedom, as Nat learned throughout his life, serving under several different masters at various plantations. Under Marse Sam (Samuel Travis), for example, Nat was allowed much more freedom than he'd had under the cruel Moore. The very idea of allowing someone freedom is a false concept, though. If freedom is a fundamental human right, then no one has the right to decide how much freedom another person should have. This concept of allowing freedom is actually a subtle, insidious way of denying someone's right to it;. one must claim power over another in order to allow him anything. Nat's rage was more often stirred up by such allowances than by outright cruelty or denial of freedom. In the book, Nat doesn't understand why the kind...