In my opinion Douglass ended the memoir where he did because what he wanted to do was show what slavery was really about. He wanted to reveal the horrors that he suffered so the world could see, and understand. He wanted others to read about what was going on and help stop it. His intention was not to tell the whole story of his life, he didn't want others to know how he got past everything. He didn't want others to be informed of what his life was like after the events. He wanted others to see the events. He wanted them to understand what was going on, and how horrible it was, despite the fact that he was able to get past it, and succeed. That was not important to him. What was really crucial, was for others to see the terrors that they were put through everyday, the terrors that some people still had to suffer. He wanted the public to feel their pain, and be motivated to help end it.
I believe that Douglass also ended his memoir the way he did to show that there are also other types of slavery and other things that enslave us. He mentions that, "The truth was, [he] felt [himself] a slave, and the idea of speaking to white people weighed [him] down. [He] spoke but a few moments, when [he] felt a degree of freedom, and said what [he] desired with a considerable ease," (112).
Yes slavery is technically being the property of another and having to obey them, however taken out of its literal definition it can represent a lack of freedom in other ways. If we are not free to speak our thoughts, and express what we feel, we are enslaved. We are robbed of our right to hear what others think and to express what we think. Fear enslaves us, because it does not allow us to do things that could make us better. It takes away our freedom to do certain things because we are controlled by our fright. We can also be our own enslavers. Our personalities, thoughts and beliefs may stand in our way when doing many things. They will not allow us to do them freely and will restrain us from doing them in certain ways that could be better. For example when we are told to analyze something our beliefs and experiences will influence how we analyze it. If we were not restrained by these we could see things in many different perspectives. Another thing that can enslave us is a lie. A lie will rob us from the truth, and enslave us by taking away our freedom and right to know what's real.
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