Although Solomon tried to become a part of this community, his individual goal to return home was above the collective values. These people helped each other because they belonged to the same group. However, his counterparts on the plant had a collective mindset, imprinted in them since childhood, that slavery is normal. Specifically, the main character never identified himself as an enslaved man and continued claiming he was a free citizen (McQueen, 2013). Since the movie was based on a real story, it indicated that slaveholders had different characters, but all had the wrong perception of race.Īlthough 12 Years a Slave is a film about slavery, the issues of collectivism and individualism are also raised. The former was kind and religious, while the latter was cruel and sadistic. The two masters that Solomon had were William Ford and Edwin Epps (McQueen, 2013). However, the fact that Northup was an African American made these individuals believe that they had the right to withdraw their freedom. Before they met, Solomon and these two slave traders belonged to the same middle class. However, he was abducted by two white men, who tortured the man and sold him into slavery, changing his name to Plat. The movie starts with the story of a free African American violinist Solomon Northup, living with his family in Saratoga, New York (McQueen, 2013). The two main ethnic groups presented in this film are White and African Americans, and the three social groups are affluent slaveholders, working for middle class, and enslaved people.
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