Several themes come to mind. Here's a big one: That the institution of slavery begets violence. If slaves were perceived as being less than human, then in effect they were reduced - in the eyes of white slaveholders and even white workers - as It, not You. Relegated to object status, it became easier to subject them to whippings, beatings, rape. If on the other hand these black men and women had been perceived as equal to whites, seen as individuals worthy of the same respect white people gave each other, then would they have been as quick to violence? I don't think so. Epps is a great example of the insidious nature of violence toward the slaves and how it infested his soul. If a slave didn't pick enough cotton in a day, they were whipped. If they disobeyed, they were whipped. If they lied to him, they were whipped. Whippings were a regular part of the Epps farm experience (in the book, this is made abundantly clear). The scene where Epps compels Northrup to whip Patsey is gut-wrenching. But it also suggests the possibility that in forcing Northrup to whip his fellow slave, he's not only exerting his control over Northrup, but also looking at the act -- slave whipping slave -- as a kind of twisted justification for his (Epps) own violence. Here's how demented the violence: Slaves were economic commodities. The livelihood of the farm depended on their ability to work. Whipping and beating them was debilitating. So in effect, Epps - particularly as he descends into drunken madness - is, as they say, cutting off his nose to spite himself. The trajectory of the violence is more and more, harsher and harsher, reinforcing the theme that violence begets violence. What themes do you see at work in 12 Years a Slave?

I don’t know if you can call it a theme, but the script seemed to be more about individual world views (what one’s beliefs and circumstances are and how one behaves as a result) under a certain framework (a world where slavery is lawful). Solomon had it pretty good. He was talented, respected and treated as an equal where he lived. In one of the first scenes you have the store owner who ultimately comes to the rescue of Solomon, treat Jasper—the slave who is mesmerized so much by viewing Solomon and his family out and about and happy that follows him into the store—just like any other customer. In contrast, Jasper’s master treats Solomon just like another slave. Same with the different slave owners; One is capable of accepting the fact that Solomon, a slave, can be as good as a white worker and even rewards good work (e.g. Solomon solving the log transportation issue, Solomon being paid and allowed to keep the money for playing the violin etc.) and then there’s the slave owner who can’t accept that a slave can read generally or read from the bible; the slave owner who, when it comes to the slaves, considers himself god. All of these slave owners believed it their right to treat their slaves as property and with violence (legal framework), but not all of them behaved the same (different personal beliefs). Armsby, the white worker, couldn’t take advantage of the legal framework to profit (own slaves), but he took advantage of it when the opportunity arose. Armsby probably meant what he said about not feeling comfortable with all the beatings, but when he got an opportunity to become an overseer he had no problem causing Solomon pain and trouble (one human being taking advantage of someone else) in order to get what he wanted. He probably would have done it to anyone, if he thought he could get away with it. Epps’ wife was particularly cruel to Patsey—not the others—just because her husband liked her. There are many more examples; this happens with pretty much every character that appears in the script. As far as the Solomon-Patsey whipping scene is concerned, it read more like a conflict between Epps’ feelings as a human being towards Patsey (he admired her skills and he liked her) and what he felt he could/should do to her as her master. He thought Patsey was sleeping with someone else and because of that he was blinded with anger and wanted to punish her, but he couldn’t, not as much as he thought needed to satisfy whatever he was feeling. But then, especially under the gaze of his wife, his “master” thinking took over and he had no problem delivering the blows. How drunk he was, was probably irrelevant. All of this based on reading the script; when watching the movie, especially knowing this is based on a true story, one is stricken by the images and all the subtle underlying themes probably only register subconsciously.