The Forerunner · Theme
Freedom and Slavery
How The Forerunner develops Freedom and Slavery.
Slavery is depicted as both physical and spiritual, as in 'The Lion’s Daughter,' where slaves fan a queen while a cat comments on their eternal bondage, and in 'Tyranny,' where the She-Dragon prophesies her own destruction by a saint.
Where it surfaces
- The King-Hermit
The king-hermit speaks of those who seem to rule but are slaves to their own subjects, and of the true ruler who rules in spirit.
- The Lion’s Daughter
The slaves' physical bondage and the cat's commentary highlight the contrast between outward servitude and inner freedom, as well as the permanence of their condition.
- War and the Small Nations
The lamb is a potential victim of the eagles' conflict, highlighting the lack of freedom for the small and weak.
- Out of My Deeper Heart
The speaker feels chained behind bars of silver and ebony, contrasting the bird's boundless flight with their own imprisonment.
- Beyond My Solitude
The narrator's desire for a freer self is tied to the concept of liberation from his current constraints.