The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano...

The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano: Religious Roles in the Narrative The narrative of Olaudah Equiano is truly a magnificent one. Not only does the reader get to see the world through Equianos own personal experiences, we get to read a major autobiography that combined the form of a slave narrative with that of a spiritual conversion autobiography. Religion may be viewed as at the heart of the matter in Equianos long, remarkable journey. Through Equianos own experiences, the reader uncovers just how massive a role religion played in the part of his Narrative and in that of his own life. More specifically, we learn of how his religious conversion meant a type of freedom as momentous as his own independence from†¦show more content†¦That as I could not get any right among men here I hoped I should hereafter in Heaven. (Equiano, 109) Equianos own identification with biblical narrators is seen a few times throughout the novel. Nevertheless, it becomes essentially prominent in his depiction of his manumission. It appears that Equiano can only tell his experience with help from the biblical texts, only by appealing to scriptural narratives of liberation. For example he first mentions Psalm 126 I glorified God in my heart, in whom I trusted. (Equiano, 156) These words, he declares, have been fulfilled by his own specific experience of emancipation. In a similar fashion he next links himself to that of the apostle Peter, My imagination was all rapture as I flew to the Register Office, and, in this respect, like the apostle Peter (whose deliverance from prison was so sudden and extraordinary, that he thought he was in a vision) I could scarcely believe that I was awake. (Equiano, 156) By creatively referencing himself to Peter, Equiano shows how that Peter, like himself, was also once a captive. And in that refer ence Equiano silently claims a sense of religious empowerment by his identification with Peter. Furthermore, the intensity of Equianos emotion of finally achieving his freedom is the biblicalShow MoreRelatedA Narrative Of Captivity By Mary Rowlandson Essay962 Words   |  4 PagesA Narrative of Captivity by Mary Rowlandson and The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano by Olaudah Equiano are captivity narratives in which the two narrators share their individual stories of being abruptly kidnapped and enslaved. Equiano was an black 11 year old boy who was stolen from his home by African slave traders in 1756. Rowlandson, a 39 year old Puritan woman, was taken in 1675, during King Philip’s War, after Indians raided her town. Although the two authors are both kidnappedRead MoreMary Rowlandson And Olaudah Equiano Essay1140 Words   |  5 PagesNarratives about captivity have often intrigued readers in Western culture. 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Not only does the reader get to see the world through Equianos own personal experiences, we get to read a major autobiography that combined the form of a slave narrative with that of a spiritual conversion autobiography. Religion may be viewed as at the heart of the matter in Equianos long, remarkable journey. 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