Equiano's Spiritual Life

Equiano filters many of his experiences through the lens of his religious convictions. Even in his worst moments, when Equiano faces death after a ship wreck or becomes enslaved after glimpsing freedom, Equiano believes that God has a guiding hand on the events in his life. In the debate between free will and determinism (which Equiano explicitly struggles with in later chapters when he is trying to find a formal religion), Equiano ameliorates his situations by coming down on the side of determinism. Thus, every hardship is perceived as a test, administered by God, to build character or reaffirm Equiano's faith.

God is very present in Equiano's life. When he "damns" the ship out of frustration when pumping water, he ascribes the subsequent near-wreck of the ship to his curse. God is even more in the foreground when Equiano is born again and converts to Protestantism...