The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African... 405into the horrifying system of West Indian slavery.
Working in the sugar islands of the West Indies,
Equiano manages to save his money and purchase
his freedom in 1766.
Equiano’s freedom to write is yet another form
of freedom central to the Interesting Narrative. The
freedom that comes from writing his autobiography
is important when examining Equiano, demon-
strating the close connection between his freedom
and his identity. When he was a slave, a specific
identity was forced upon him: Pascal renamed him
Gustavus Vassa to demonstrate his control over his
property. When Equiano becomes free, part of his
task is to carve out a new identity and place for
himself in society. He does this, in part, by writing
his own story and portraying himself as he wants to
be seen.
Earlier in the Narrative, as a slave, Equiano
possesses an unusual freedom of movement. One
of his many owners, Robert King, is aware that
if Equiano is given too much freedom, he could
escape. However, he earns King’s trust, takes advan-
tage of the freedom being at sea gave him, and
becomes a shrewd businessman, earning and saving
enough money to eventually buy his own freedom.
In addition, he feels that honesty is the best policy,
and he strives to treat others the way he wants to
be treated—with respect. He does not feel that it
would be right to escape from slavery by running
away, preferring to be freed legally. He ultimately
chooses to purchase his own freedom, and he returns
to England to pursue the abolitionist cause.
Equiano’s enslavement is atypical and not repre-
sentative of the suffering most slaves experience. He
is literate and has several good masters who allow
him to learn various trades, skills, and information
he otherwise would not have been privy to. Unlike
Michael Pascal, Robert King keeps his promise of
freedom: He authorizes Equiano’s free papers to be
drawn up, and he signs them, endorsing Equiano’s
freedom. Equiano keeps these legally binding free-
dom papers on his person at all times, for he knows
many would challenge and question the legitimacy
of his freedom. Notably, he includes his freedom
papers in his autobiography as proof for any doubt-
ing readers.
Once free, Equiano’s relationship with Rob-
ert King goes from slave-master to employee-
employer status. There is difficulty in this for
both parties, for when Equiano becomes free,
King can no longer protect his former slave as his
property. Equiano, a freed black man, is now in
danger of abuse and reenslavement by those seek-
ing to undermine his freedom. There is no one to
physically protect or defend him. The institution
of slavery has thus placed limitations on the extent
to which he is actually free. If he travels to places
where slavery still exists, his freedom is very much
threatened. He has to act and defend his rights as a
free man as he faces many dangerous and precari-
ous situations.
Equiano becomes truly free once he leaves North
America and the West Indies and heads for En-
gland. American and Caribbean slavery had placed
great restrictions on Equiano’s freedom. At sea, he
had earned respect because of his skills and expertise
in seafaring; at sea, he was able to overcome racial
barriers, and even whites, who judged him on the
basis of his skin color, had to recognize his seafar-
ing expertise. What his narrative demonstrates is
that though physically and spiritually enslaved, his
mental toughness and persistence is what ultimately
granted him his freedom. Equiano’s Interesting Nar-
rative demonstrates how thoughtful, perceptive, and
intelligent an individual he was. He used his mind to
work through situations; even though his slave mas-
ters owned his body, they did not own his mind and
his soul. The innate freedom Equiano ultimately
possessed over his mind and soul allowed him to
transcend the fact that he was in bondage. Notably,
Equiano’s physical freedom came after his spiritual
conversion to Christianity.
Kelli Randallidentity in The Interesting Narrative of the
Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the
African. Written by Himself
The question of Olaudah Equiano’s sense of iden-
tity is complicated, and critics have hotly debated
the culture to which Equiano and his Interest-
ing Narrative belong. The noted biographer, critic,
and scholar Vincent Carretta describes Equiano as
“an indisputably African body in European dress.”