Twelve Years a Slave · Theme

Corruption of Power

How Twelve Years a Slave develops Corruption of Power.

Slaveholders like Epps and Tibeats are depicted as morally degraded by absolute power, using violence and cruelty to dominate, while a few kind masters like Ford show that humanity can exist within the system.

Where it surfaces

XIV
The murder of a man from Natchez and the feud between Marshall and Epps illustrate how unchecked power and violence corrupt individuals and communities.
Chapter XXII
The acquittal of Burch through false testimony and legal manipulation illustrates the corruption of power within the judicial system.