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Hugh Auld
A farmer renowned for his ability to “break” disobedient slaves. He cannot afford to own many slaves himself, so other masters will lease him their slaves in exchange for him “breaking” them. Covey uses deceit to ensure that slaves are fearful and hardworking. Thomas Auld sends Douglass to work for him for a year because Douglass is difficult to control. Douglass’s first six months with Covey are miserable, but Douglass then stands up to Covey and is never whipped again.
Edward Covey Quotes in The Narrative of Frederick Douglass
The The Narrative of Frederick Douglass quotes below are all either spoken by Edward Covey or refer to Edward Covey. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 10
Quotes
“If at any one time of my life more than another, I was made to drink the bitterest dregs of slavery, that time was during the first six months of my stay with Mr. Covey…I was broken in body, soul, and spirit. My natural elasticity was crushed, my intellect languished, the disposition to read departed, the cheerful spark that lingered about my eye died; the dark night of slavery closed in upon me; and behold a man transformed into a brute!”
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“This battle with Mr. Covey was the turning-point in my career as a slave. It rekindled the few expiring embers of freedom, and revived within me a sense of my own manhood…My long-crushed spirit rose, cowardice departed, bold defiance took its place; and I now resolved that, however long I might remain a slave in form, the day had passed forever when I could be a slave in fact. I did not hesitate to let it be known of me, that the white man who expected to succeed in whipping, must also succeed in killing me.”
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Edward Covey Quotes in The Narrative of Frederick Douglass
The The Narrative of Frederick Douglass quotes below are all either spoken by Edward Covey or refer to Edward Covey. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 10
Quotes
“If at any one time of my life more than another, I was made to drink the bitterest dregs of slavery, that time was during the first six months of my stay with Mr. Covey…I was broken in body, soul, and spirit. My natural elasticity was crushed, my intellect languished, the disposition to read departed, the cheerful spark that lingered about my eye died; the dark night of slavery closed in upon me; and behold a man transformed into a brute!”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
“This battle with Mr. Covey was the turning-point in my career as a slave. It rekindled the few expiring embers of freedom, and revived within me a sense of my own manhood…My long-crushed spirit rose, cowardice departed, bold defiance took its place; and I now resolved that, however long I might remain a slave in form, the day had passed forever when I could be a slave in fact. I did not hesitate to let it be known of me, that the white man who expected to succeed in whipping, must also succeed in killing me.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
