What is the theme in Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself by Frederick Douglass?

One of the most explicit themes of the Narrative is the oppressive effect of institutionalized racism in the form of slavery in the southern United States. Throughout the narrative, Douglass provides striking examples of how slaves are brutalized, mentally and physically, by the slaveholding system. His narrative provides numerous examples that add up to a powerful indictment of the dehumanizing effects of slavery.