The Heroic Slave

Content Warning: This section of the guides includes discussion of racism. 

A variety of symbolic animals appear in “The Heroic Slave,” including snakes, birds, cats, horses, lions, and eagles. Madison discusses how birds and snakes are seen as superior to enslaved people in the 19th century. For instance, he says, “That accursed and crawling snake, that miserable reptile, that has just glided into its slimy home, is freer and better off than I” (3). Douglass uses this symbol to illustrate how enslaved Black people are regarded as the lowest form of animal life. Birds are also used to describe sailors. The tavern that they frequent is described as an “old rookery, the nucleus of all sorts of birds” (25). Birds symbolize sailors’ liberty and travel, as the ocean is more generally associated with freedom. Sailors are also referred to as cats: “The sailors hung about the ropes, like so many black cats” (38). Cats symbolize agility and the willingness to climb high up in the air.

A human’s attitude toward their horses is a symbol of their character. In “The Heroic Slave,” if they treat their horse well, as Listwell does, they are a decent person. Wilkes, after hearing Listwell talk about his horse, says, “I alloys like to hear a gentleman talk for his horse; and just because the horse can’t talk for itself” (27). Looking out for horses is looking out for those who are vulnerable and can’t express their own needs or desires, like babies. Lastly, the lion and eagle are political symbols that represent the nations of England and the US, respectively. England did not allow chattel enslavement, which made it more appealing than the US to enslaved people. After reaching a British colony in Canada, Tom recalls Madison saying, “I nestle in the mane of the British lion, protected by his mighty paw from the talons and beak of the American eagle” (23). He was safe and protected by the laws of England.