In The Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, written by himself, Douglass describes his overseer as "a man of unyielding firmness and a composure like that of stone. (Andre 181). He adds that “the tender heart of his mistress became stone” (Andrews 188). When he first attempts to free himself from these people, Douglass finds himself “all alone, within the walls of a stone prison” (Andrews 208). Through these references, the image of the stone is repeatedly associated with the dramatic and brutal oppression of African Americans in the Caucasus. James Baldwin also includes images of stone and wood in his novel If Beale Street Could Talk. Stone and wood are often mentioned together and are used for a common purpose as Fonny, the protagonist, uses these materials to create sculptures. The three sculptures mentioned in the novel act as foreshadowing symbols that foretell what ultimately happens to their subjects; they intricately detail: the Caucasian oppression each subject faces, their subsequent imprisonment in stone, and their path to freedom. Fonny gives one of his first sculptures to his girlfriend's mother; Describing the sculpture, his girlfriend, Tish, says: “It's not very tall, it's made of black wood. It is a naked man with one hand on his forehead and the other half hiding his penis. The legs are… wide apart, and one foot seems planted, unable to move, and the whole movement of the figure is a torment” (Baldwin 38). This sculpture serves as a foreshadowing symbol in the novel because, like the sculpture, Fonny is a vulnerable black man who tries to avoid being raped, but he ends up tormented and imprisoned in wood and stone. Moreover, like the sculpture, Fonny is ultimately left in the care and protection......in the middle of a piece of paper...g” (Baldwin 38). It will likely become a real conversation starter, summarizing his life story in a more artistic and complex way than any scrapbook or family album. It will even connect Fonny's story to Frederick Douglass's slave narrative, showing how these two black men faced betrayal, isolation, and metaphorical death through unjust imprisonment in stone. It will also show how they both struggled to free themselves from Caucasian oppression, and how Fonny's struggle took place outside of the context and times of slavery. Works Cited Andrews, William L., ed. The Literature of the American South: A Norton Anthology. New York: Norton & Company, 1998. Baldwin, James. If Beale Street could talk. New York: Dell Publishing, 1974. “Rape.” The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language2000 Fourth ed. Bartleby.com. September 30. 2004