# Austin Gore — Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass character guide

> Austin Gore in Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Mr. Austin Gore, Mr. Gore

**First appearance:** 0006-iv

## Snapshot

An overseer so cold-blooded he shoots a fleeing man in front of witnesses and is praised for it, proving the law protects only the powerful.

## Who they are

Gore oversees Colonel Lloyd's plantation and kills the slave Demby for refusing to come out of a creek, then defends the murder as necessary to prevent insurrection. No court touches him; the community esteems him. His unpunished crime teaches Douglass—and the reader—that in Talbot County, killing a Black person is not treated as a crime at all.

## Relationships

### [Demby](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/narrative_of_the_life_of_frederick_douglass_se/characters/demby)

_rivalry_

Gore, the overseer, murders Demby in cold blood to assert absolute authority over the slaves.

## In the story

### [Chapter IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/narrative_of_the_life_of_frederick_douglass_se/chapters/iv)

Succeeded Mr. Hopkins as overseer; described as proud, cruel, and obdurate; murdered Demby without hesitation.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/narrative_of_the_life_of_frederick_douglass_se/characters/austin_gore
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/narrative_of_the_life_of_frederick_douglass_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/narrative_of_the_life_of_frederick_douglass_se/characters