Throughout the book, it may seem to others that Hayes does not appear to be "free." Being free is not having someone control you and having power over someone. Although Nate was freed from slavery at the age of sixteen, his view of freedom differed from his father's. For Hayes, freedom does not exist beyond paper, and Nate would believe that freedom should be more than a piece of paper, it should be a moral. Both Hayes and Nate had different views on what it meant to be "free." Hayes Shaw was a shade or two darker than Nate Shaw, his son. At the age of fifteen, Hayes gave up his freedom. “I had no knowledge of what surrender was…it was the time of freedom among the colored people” (7). Hayes beat his wife "My father was a free man but in his actions he was a slave" (26.) He was not afraid to beat his children, but when it came to speaking up for himself to the white man did it. not say what he thinks. Hayes not speaking for himself may contradict what freedom is, he always obeyed the white man since he was a slave. “He was not a slave but he lived like one” (33). Hayes was always afraid to speak up for himself and because he had a hard time letting go of the mindset that he was no longer a slave. Hayes showed his actions with anger and he could not let go of the past. He wasn't really free, but Hayes thought his name was Hannah and that she was the prettiest woman he had ever seen. Nate prepared all week to ask her for the privilege of taking her home, and then he proposed to Hannah. In 1907 Nate began making a fair amount of cotton, he made baskets and cut stoves for people so he could use a mule. Nate married the prettiest woman, and he was free to do so. Even though he had to work hard and provide for his family. He was satisfied with his surroundings. While Nate worked hard, he was able to carry two mules by himself, and it gave him a feeling of accomplishment. Hayes and Nate had different views on what freedom is. Even though Nate's lifestyle was different from his father's, he still wasn't free. Nate worked to support his family, just like his father. Hayes had the mindset of a slave and clung to the past, and this was reflected in his behavior towards people. Nate, however, was not free, but he still worked to support his family, married happily, and worked hard. Hayes was free, but he still had the mindset of a slave. Beating his family and dating multiple women was his way of expressing his freedom. He was always afraid of talking to white people