Harriet Ann Jacobs was a slave abolitionist and author who was born into slavery. She wrote Incidents in the life of a slave girl as a narration of her time as a southern slave girl. The books falls in the genre of being an autobiography when it comes to the literary genres. The novel was written in the 1850s , first published in 1861, New York, and has been revised through the years. Jacobs wrote this book to let people know that no slave story is an exaggeration and to highlight the many struggles a slave endures, particularly women slaves.
Jacobs narration of Incidents in the life of a slave girl is a story about herself as a slave girl, under the name Linda Brent. The story takes place mainly in an unknown southern town, Boston, England and New York. She starts her autobiography portraying a beautiful and vivid memory of the main Character , Brent, being a loved and sheltered child. Linda Brent had loving parents, a brother, many uncles, a maternal aunt and her dearest grandmother. After Linda’s mother’s death, things in her life began to change. For starters Linda became aware of her status as a slave and not her true ,society deemed , purpose as a slave. When her mother died, Linda became the property of her mother’s mistress , who still sheltered her to the harsh realities of slavery and taught her how to read (page 3). Linda performed duties for her mistress and still was allowed time to play and rest whenever her mistress observed that she was tired. Tragedy struck again in Linda’s life as her current mistress died. Her ownership was transferred to her former mistress’ daughter’s child and started residing under the watchful eye of Dr Flint. Dr Flint is her former mistress’ son in law and the antagonist of the story. Dr Flint would punish the slaves when they misbehaved and was a constant obstacle in Linda’s life. He always wanted something more and always had somewhat of a hold on Linda. Dr Flint also held a flame for Linda and was always pressuring her to sleep with him, she refused and dodged him at every attempt. Linda, out of desperation, sought out an affair with a man called Mr Sands because she wanted Mr Flint to be discouraged and stop forcing her to have intercourses with him. Mr Sands sired Linda’s two children, Benny and Ellen. Linda upon learning that Dr Flint was going to send her to a plantation, ran away and hid in the loophole of retreat. In the loophole, which was an attic, she experienced a little bit of freedom and had the opportunity to observe her children. Even after her escape Dr Flint still tormented her. He sold her children to Mr Hobbs, who was Mr Sands cousin. Sands promised he would set Linda’s children free and never did so, he broke his promise. Mr Sands appointed Ellen as his other daughter’s property and Benny lived with his grandmother.
During her escape and hiding many kind people helped her. A white benefactress whose name was never mentioned and the benefactress’ maid Betty, who hid Linda for a period. She also got help from a family friend called Mr Peters and her uncle Philip.The person who helped her the most was her Uncle Benjamin who fueled and inspired her escape. It was because of her uncle Benjamin’s escape when he was twenty that she realized the benefits and consequences of escaping (page 17). The obvious benefit being utter freedom and the consequence being severing family bonds. Family ties were always important to her grandmother and she worked very hard to try to set all her children free but failed. In the end Linda and her children were freed from the life of slavery. Benny went to live with his uncle William in California and Ellen went to a boarding school. “Reader, my story ends with freedom; not in the usual way, with marriage. I and my children are now free!” (page 196).
The purpose of Jacob’s book was to inform readers of her struggles as a slave trying to gain her freedom and to show that what former slaves write about their time in chains is no fabrication. She spares no expenses or details with her emotions and personal thoughts. “READER, be assured this narrative is no fiction. I am aware that some of my adventures may seem incredible; but they are, nevertheless, strictly true” (Preface). Jacob uses clear and simple diction so that everyone can understand what she is writing about. She presented her story in an orderly fashion, starting with her childhood and ending with her adulthood. She repeatedly outlined her goals, wrote about the factors that led to her escape and mentioned the people who were there to help her or discouraged her.
The intended audience in this case would be the white shallow folks of the time. Those who thought that slaves were just their property and did not understand that slaves were people too, made of flesh and blood. That slaves were not just emotionless things used and designed to succumb to the masters every whim. She wanted the reader to understand that slaves were human beings and if not for the status would be just as any normal free person aside from the scorned skin colour, just like you and I. The people who never knew what life was from a slave’s point of view and who had no clue as to the extent of their struggle. “Pity me, and pardon me, O virtuous reader! You never knew what it is to be a slave; to be entirely unprotected by law or custom; to have the laws reduce you to the condition of a chattel, entirely subject to the will of another”(page 51).
The tone used in the novel was mostly defiant, emotional, angered and sarcastic. Emotional because she constantly refers to the person who is reading the novel with words like ‘O Reader’ and ‘Now reader”, almost like she wants to establish an emotional connection to the reader. Jacobs wanted the reader to sympathize with what she was writing and with the trials she faced. “O, what days and nights of fear and sorrow that man caused me! Reader” (page 26). I agree with her on so many levels and her tones are justified because after all it is her story to tell and she can tell however way she wishes to tell the story. No one was there to suffer or rejoice in her stead so no one should also dictate the way she writes her book. She is sarcastic, almost patronizing in regards to religion. How their masters who were “supposed” christian were able to openly scorn slaves for their “supposed” wrongdoings even when it was not their fault. She wondered how her mistress who called herself a catholic woman could always stand by and watch people be whipped until “blood trickled to their feet from the stroke of the lash. She a member of the church; but partaking of the Lord’s supper did not seem to put her in a christian frame of mind”(page 8). Or how she would always prevent the slaves from getting the crumbs or left over food by spitting in the cooking pan. How appalling it is to think that a woman of God was the one doing all those malignant task. Where has humanity gone?A prime example of the defiant tone was in chapter four where her uncle Benjamin had escaped and was later caught and Linda’s grandmother kept asking Benjamin to beg for forgiveness but he refused. Benjamin felt that he should not beg for forgiveness if he was treated like a common ‘dog’ when he was a human being.
As a reader, I felt the urge to put down the book because some of the scenes described were unbearable and as a black women I felt that I owed my ancestral roots the chance to express themselves. I would recommend this book because most people think that slavery was the buying and selling of slaves. No one really thinks about the horror or even imagines what went on in the slave’s day to day life. I am a christian with a strong faith and so were the people in Jacob’s book. I totally understood why some lost their faith in God and I greatly admired Linda’s grandmother’s resolve not to lose her faith.
There were many symbolic people in Linda’s life who represent problems we all have in our lives. Dr Flint, Aunt Martha, the loophole of retreat. Dr Flint, the villain, symbolizes the physical representation of the power a slaveholder had upon his slaves. He is that one fly that we never seems to shake from our shoulder, always pestering and bothering us with the buzzing noise. Linda’s defiance was a challenge to Dr Flint and he wanted to break her spirit, extinguish the rebellious streak in her. He pursues her relentlessly , until he died. Aunt Martha symbolizes as a protector to Linda and was another key factor in her escape. She was respected for being the only black person to own a house and helped Linda hide in the attic of her house. Just like today’s day and age if you have the biggest mansion or house in the neighborhood you are immediately respected.She does however have her dark side because she locked Linda up in an a very tiny attic for seven years. Confinement like that leaves permanent damage to the joint and limbs. The loophole of retreat was Linda’s momentary sanctuary. It was there that she experienced the freedom of seeing her children and not being whipped. But it was also there that she received the mental torture of being so near to her family but being helpless to help them. Just like my room is my sanctuary, where I have the freedom to do whatever it is I want but am restricted to my thoughts.
It seems that the life of a slave girl is a cycle of tragedy. Starting from the olden generation to the newer generations . The hopes and dreams never change, the circumstances do change. We all have dreams and hopes and that is what always keeps us going. Linda’s main thought was freedom and there was always a price that would be paid for such a luxury. Just as there is a price for every luxury that is beyond our reach but not impossible. It was hard and difficult to be born a slave girl. Jacobs made sure that her words made the readers feel and imagine what it was like living with her status.