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Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

Characters

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Colonel Edward Lloyd Character Analysis

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Characters Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Colonel Edward Lloyd Character Analysis

Captain Anthony’s employer, Colonel Lloyd, is an extraordinarily wealthy man, the model of a successful slave owner. Because of Colonel Lloyd’s wealth, Douglass’s observations of him serve to illuminate the hollowness of that success, questioning the true value of wealth built from slavery. Despite all the power he holds, Colonel Lloyd has a quick temper that proves his insecurity. For example, Colonel Lloyd sells a slave to a plantation in notoriously harsh Georgia simply because that slave unwittingly revealed that he felt he was ill-treated. Even though Colonel Lloyd has all the power over this man’s life, he cannot help but retaliate at the slightest hint of insubordination. Douglass also spotlights Lloyd’s treatment of Old and Young Barney who care for his horses. Colonel Lloyd appears to use his consistent nitpicking of the Barneys’ care for his horses to make himself appear a better, more discerning horseman. If Colonel Lloyd were truly concerned about his horses and thought the Barneys were putting them in danger, he could better train the Barneys or even hire a professional groomer. In both cases, Colonel Lloyd’s vitriol undercuts the idea that he is a successful man. His constant reassertion of his power and authority highlights that even a wealthy slave owner lives in constant insecurity because his elevated position is dependent on subjugating others.

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