The Slave is a 'ritual drama' in the form of a fable in which a debate takes place around the heritage of slavery and the hatred it generates. Its central character, Walker is an African American man who is leading 'a violent murderous black rebellion'. During the prologue he is dressed as an old field slave, and at the end of the play, as the city explodes, he is enslaved again, this time by mutual hatred with the society and people around him.