Whatever the exact details of Roque's experience, the system surrounding him was one in which freedom could be denied at every level.
His extraordinary body did not protect him from exploitation.
It may have made him a more specific target of it.
And in that sense, the trait that distinguished him from everyone around him also became part of the mechanism by which others sought to control his life.
Life at Santa Eudóxia: Privilege Without Freedom
According to accounts preserved in the region, Roque's life on the estate differed in certain respects from that of other enslaved workers.
Some retellings suggest that he did not spend all his time working in the coffee fields. Instead, he reportedly performed duties involving animals, transportation, and errands between the estate and nearby settlements.
Other descriptions suggest that his physical presence and the particular role assigned to him gave him a degree of mobility not available to everyone on the plantation.
