In the Elements of Literature book, the story "The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano" deals with kidnapping, slavery, emotional difficulties, and loss of comfort. Olaudah Equiano, a young boy, has to handle the world in an unpleasant manner. During Equiano's lifetime, people could walk into someone's yard and kidnap children and force them into slavery. Equiano goes through many emotional difficulties and struggles after being kidnapped and sold into slavery. .
Equiano struggles throughout his life after getting kidnapped. A coalition of children sit around in trees and watch for kidnappers to come in their yards because "they [kidnappers] sometimes took these opportunities of our parents" absence to attack and carry off as many as they could seize" (58). One day Equiano and his little sister sit alone at home to mind the house when kidnappers came to take them away. " Two men and a woman got over our walls, and in a moment seized us both, and without giving us time to cry or make resistance they ran off with us to the nearest wood" (58). Equiano and his sister only stay comfortable and hopeful during that night because they have not been separated from each other. " The only comfort we had was being in one another's arms all that night and bathing each other with our tears" (59). Then torn apart, they think they will never see each other again. "I cried and grieved continually, and for several days I did not eat anything but what they forced into my mouth" (59). Equiano's kidnapping plays a severe emotional struggle on him because he looses everything and everyone he loves and cares about. .
Being sold as a slave can be the most difficult event in one's life, but especially as a small child. Equiano has a "rough" life. Although some owners treat him well, some owners treat him very stringently. Equiano, sold into slavery around the age of eleven, has no long-term comfort of any kind after being kidnapped.
