Throughout the book Douglass provides examples of his masters altering their attitude and actions toward him and other slaves over a period of time. One example from the book is Mrs. Auld. She was the husband of Mr. Auld, and was described as a "pious, warm, and tender-hearted woman." Douglass is very surprised by her kindness when he first meets her, and she teaches Douglass the alphabet, allows him to look her in the eyes, and doesn't support beating. Douglass was progressing in learning words, but that came to an end when Mr. Auld found out about the teaching. Mr. Auld told his wife that teaching a slave was unlawful and dangerous. On page 22, Douglass says "Slavery soon proved it's ability to divest her of these heavenly qualities." Mrs. Auld was influenced by the practices of slavery and other slave owners around and became more cruel. Douglass said slave owners become corrupted with power over time, and turn cruel to keep the obedience of their slaves.
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