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One of Douglass's first opportunities to learn is cut short when Mr. Auld prevents Mrs. Auld from teaching him how to read. Mr. Auld states that "if you teach that nigger how to read, there will be no keeping him" (63). Douglass uses Mr. Auld's words to convey that white masters are very much aware that slaves becoming educated will lead to their freedom and that slaves must understand this and pursue education in order to become free. This is a key turning point for Douglass, as he is now aware of this fear of slaves becoming educated. When he is sent to Baltimore, he realizes the massive difference in the lifestyles of slaves inside larger cities in comparison to on a plantation where he has been all of his life. He plays games with white children in order to improve his literacy and jumps at reading everything he can get his hands on. .
As he becomes more and more educated, he comprehends the reality of slavery and what it represents. He becomes both drawn and disgusted by education as he begins to despise slave-owners with the discovery of abolition. He now recognizes that the importance of education lies in the knowledge that in order for slaves to become physically free of slavery, they must first become mentally aware that slavery is not accepted everywhere and that there is indeed a life outside of slavery. Douglass conveys to other slaves and impresses the white community when he finally manages to earn the wages and escape to the north becoming an active member of the abolitionist party that it is indeed possible for a slave of only twenty-seven years old to be not only free, but respected and sophisticated among both whites and blacks. By sharing his perspective on education, his narrative is one of the key influences that helped other blacks understand the importance of education and how one can only truly be free once they are capable of grasping the reality and truth of slavery.
