Family

At some point in the reading last night, it dawned on me that Equiano spent most of his life as a lone drifter, a pseudo free-agent, without family. Reading his accounts of purchasing freedom, having it denied, being flogged unjustifiably, transferring jobs/masters, losing friends/masters, and finding his faith made me think about how dire situations make a person turn to their family for support. I thought about his separation from his sister... What would I possibly do if I was ripped from my family and never saw them again? Where would I turn if my money was stolen and I had nowhere to live? It is remarkable to me that Equiano and other slaves in his position were able to survive. I think his lack of a family unit was the catalyst for his faith journey. Equiano turned to religion when he had no one else. There were some people that he was close to and formed an attachment, but nothing that resembled a constant, unconditional familial bond.