The purpose of a slave narrative during the American abolitionist movement was to directly address the violent truth of slavery. But what effect did the veracity of their autobiographical stories have on readers of the time? In this essay, I will explore themes such as truth, motherhood, and religion, and how they interact as narrative strategies. In order to support my analyses, my main authors will be William Wells Brown, Frederick Douglass and Harriet Jacobs 1. The main texts cited are written in a voice which takes place before the American Civil War (1861-65), it is therefore interesting to see that the two male authors use their own identity to title their work despite the risks involved, unlike Jacobs who uses pseudonyms to tell his story. In all three texts, we find a familiar structure. Olney comments that it is "a feeling not of uniqueness but of overwhelming sameness." 2 He goes on to explain how slave narratives follow a "chronological and episodic narrative beginning with an affirmation of the 'existence' 3. This can be seen in my main texts. , for example, “I was born at Tuckahoe” (Douglass, Narrative, p.2072) and “I was born a slave” (Jacobs, Incidents, p.1809). On the other hand, Heermance disagrees, stating that "the specifically personal, [...] unique and exotic nature [...] made each tale strikingly different from its brethren."4 This quote supports the individuality of each slave and their reactions and representations of the different forms of violence of which they were victims. However, Andrews justifies the similarity of structures within slave narratives; "Ex-slave narrators and their sponsors had learned that [...] the facts plotted in certain types of story structures...... middle of paper...... this analysis of strategies toward At the end, I believe that the theme of religion creates a greater impact in the stories. Indeed, even without being religious, the Scriptures are known, the quotes are therefore relevant. Additionally, the narrators themselves played important roles in the abolitionist movement, particularly Douglass who wrote and delivered numerous speeches; “Morality and religion were one and the same for Frederick Douglass, and it is not surprising that [...] (Matthew 7:12) became for him the perfect embodiment of human equality” 15. This concludes how religion in the narratives exposed the slave owners' misconception of the scriptures and their unnatural violence based on these misinterpretations. The stories tactfully show God's true and righteous intentions for all humanity, and no doubt this greatly aided the abolitionist movement..