Aunt Hester appears near the end of chapter one, not in the first paragraph of the book. The appearance of her character is significant because hers is the first instance of vivid and specific cruelty toward a slave that Douglass shows us. It occurs early on for two reasons: first, it had shocking effect on the young Douglass and second, it has a disturbing effect on the reader, setting the tone for the rest of the book.

In this episode, the master angrily takes Hester, an attractive young slave, rips her clothing off down to the waist, ties her arms above her head, has her stand on a stool, and whips her until she is bloody in front of other slaves, including Frederick. Her crime has been to leave the plantation to visit a fellow slave (her boyfriend, Ned) without permission.

The violence and brutality of the scene horrifies the young Douglass, who quickly runs and hides. It is not too much to say the event was traumatic for him, filling him with the helpless fear he would be the next victim. He had never seen anything like it before.

For the reading audience, the brutality is all the more unforgivable because its victim is a young woman who is treated with disproportionate cruelty. It is hard for us not to react with revulsion since the beating is inflicted on a helpless woman and because it seems so excessive for merely disobeying a rule. We quickly come down on the side of Hester, who doesn't seem to deserve such cruel and inhumane treatment.