In the novel The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, readers are provided with symbolism and themes. The theme that stood out most to me was the value of freedom. Most people these days take our freedom for granted. We have never been without it, so we don't know how much it means to be free. In this novel, readers see the years following the Civil War from the perspective of a black slave, Jane Pittman. She fights hard for her freedom, taking risks and putting her life on the line. At first, when reading the novel, I didn't understand why freedom was so valuable to the slaves. It doesn't seem like a big deal now because I'm so used to it. However, but the end of the novel, I knew exactly why. Those people had nothing. They couldn't be anyone but who their masters decided they were, they weren't seen as equal, and they didn't have any privileges or responsibilities. Gaining insight to how important this was for them made me appreciate my freedom much more.
