Final answer:
The provided passages use chairs as literary symbols to represent various themes and character emotions, from exhaustion and powerlessness to intimate domestic settings.
Step-by-step explanation:
The passages provided depict various settings and characters, illustrating the diverse use of chairs and seating in literature to convey different atmospheres and emotions. From a comfortable armchair symbolizing exhaustion and a craving for reprieve, to the harsh reality of slavery where human beings were degraded to the level of property and ranked alongside animals. Chairs are used to exemplify the disparity between the powerful and the powerless, as well as to paint intimate scenes of domestic life and personal introspection.
Such imagery serves to heighten the reader's understanding of the characters' relationships, social status, emotional states, and the overarching themes within the narratives. It also showcases how inanimate objects, like chairs, can become significant symbols within storytelling, often representing more than just a piece of furniture.