The strings emanate sweet, sweeping symphonies, a graceful glide across an intricately crafted bow, as fingers press shifting tones, expanding melodies. The whips float then sharply crash the air, a loop of rough rope quickly encircles a neck, strangling, choking the soft breath. 12 Years a Slave, directed by Steve McQueen, masterfully presents the true story of Solomon Northup, a free-born African-American man who is forced to join a traveling circus as a violin player. The job that would seemingly further his career as a musician is actually a plan to take him to Washington DC where he will be sold into slavery. Throughout the film, violins appear and, as Solomon's situation evolves, the symbol recurs. In this article I will analyze how the violin is a use of material rhetoric that imposes on the audience the complexity of slavery, but ultimately how this is a narrative about humanity accessible to Americans today. At the beginning of the film Solomon Northup is a family man with a wife and two children, he is depicted as rich, owning a house and a carriage. The symbol of the violin refers directly to this wealth. It's a short scene, we see Solomon's crafty hands open a letter with new string wrapped in a neat bow while he sits at his desk. He attaches the string to the noticeably worn instrument, immediately proceeds to repeatedly tighten the peg, carefully but firmly, then pluck the tip to tune it. When he gets close to the desired note he begins to hum a melody. The overwhelming harmony leads to another interior, this scene is a celebration. The customers are Caucasian. The men are lined up dancing and courting the parallel aisle of women. They dance to the intricate rhythm of Solomon putting aside the engagement. As soon as it finishes playing,... in the middle of the sheet... the identity varies in different moments of our life” (32). Through a series of extremely difficult times, he, like the violin, has been wrapped in a new identity, a new name, a character who lies low and does not draw attention to himself, he is just trying to survive. The violin symbolizes joy, hope, and passion. It is his identity as a free black man, which is distorted by his encounter with racism and slavery. His journey with the violin adds to the complexity of slavery. There were plots of racism in the North, favorable masters, highly skilled slaves, other ethnic groups at odds with society, and a deafening internal tension among the oppressed. Solomon's journey alongside the violin shows that we should show compassion towards those of all races, especially those who are oppressed, and not take people's character for granted over their individual identity.