Human Rights Symbol
The fact that slaves did not have any basic human rights is a symbol of the fact that they were not seen to be human beings; they were viewed as possessions of their master, and it was believed that a man could do whatever he wanted with his own possessions. This is a symbol also of the total lack of options available to slave women like Celia who were abused from a very young age.
Keeping Up Appearances Symbol
Celia's master has bought her primarily to have sex with her; he believes that she is his to do with what she pleases and seems to see nothing wrong with his continual rape of her, yet he also keeps up appearances, in that he wants Celia to appear to be his daughters' slave, not his own, because it looks more appropriate. This is a symbol of the fact that he knows what he is doing to Celia is wrong.
Daughters' Indifference
You would think that a daughter would find it at the very least disturbing if her father was raping a young woman; even more so if that young woman had been purchased with the express intention of having her fulfill the sexual needs of a lonely widower. However, the daughters in this story side completely with their father, and seem angry with Celia for "cheating" on their father with an actual boyfriend, with whom she is having a consensual relationship. This is a symbol of how "brainwashed" they are and how they are now desensitized to the wrongs done against slave women.
Mysogeny Motif
Even Celia's boyfriend is guilty of misogyny; their relationship is consensual, and Celia is very happy with him, but he blames her for the relationship that she is having with her master. It does not occur to him that she is the victim of sexual assault, or that she is helpless and powerless within this abusive relationship. He issues an ultimatum and threatens to leave her if she does not end the relationship with her master. This shows that he does not believe that she is a victim but a willing participant, and shows that women were viewed to be in the wrong almost all of the time in the eyes of the men they were involved with. The slavery system, geared against slaves, was still geared even more harshly against female slaves, which can be seen in Celia's story.
Political Unrest Motif
Throughout the story there are glimpses of protests against slavery and descriptions of the clashes between pro-slavery and anti-slavery politicians and officials. There was always a trade-off between both parties, evident in the machinations that saw slave states admitted into the Union on the condition that non-slave states were admitted at the same rate. The politics of the time also foreshadowed the many changes that would take place as the anti-slavery movement gradually gained more traction.
