The Confessions of Nat Turner by William Styron is the story of one of the worst pre-civil war massacres in history. Nat Turner was a slave on Samuel Turner's farm and mill. "Marse" Samuel and his family showed a special interest in Nat after it was discovered he had stolen a book and was trying to educate himself. Rather than punish Nat, which might have averted the upcoming tragedy, his efforts are supported and he becomes an able reader. Nat is particularly interested in the Bible. After fasting for several days, Nat has a hallucination or "vision", which he perceived to be his "calling" to kill the white man.
Well, old Nat is a special slave. When he is first referred to as a slave, he becomes distraught. Nat believed himself to part of the Turner family. "You take a little slave like that one there-. And it was an instant before I realized he was speaking of me." (Styron, pg. 163).
The slave community at Marse Samuel's property was hierarchical in nature. After his lust for education and reading was discovered, the Turner family allowed him the advantage of rising a few rungs on the ladder by moving out of the fields and mills. Samuel Turner gives Nat the opportunity to apprentice in carpentry and Nat does very well, thus increasing his value as a slave. As a result of his hard work and loyalty, Marse Samuel tells Nat he will grant him his freedom. He is to go and work for a reverend for a while, who will then release him from service. Well, this doesn't work out and Nat is sold again. Nat now feels betrayed. "But you can't do this. You and Marse Samuel had a written agreement." (Styron, pg. 246). At this point, Nat hurt very badly. He realized that he would never be free. Freedom was like a "carrot on a stick"; it kept Nat going, but it would always remain just out of reach. As a result, I believe he begins to use religion as a cover. Ultimately, he conspires to initiate one of the worst blood baths in history.
