Mr. Flint: An Analysis

Linda describes in detail the psychological abuse she suffered at the hands of Mr.Flint, her owner. This incident stood out to me because of its nature, relevance and the way people involved handled it. The nature of this event is inherently repulsive. A young girl was sexually harassed by an older male in a position of power. If this sounds familiar, it's because, although not in slavery, it is still a common occurrence today. Previous to reading this book, when i heard about relationships between male masters and female slaves, it was always implied that it was consensual and almost romantic. Out of the history lessons, it was always left out the sexual abuse towards enslaved women. Although Linda is the victim in this situation, she describes …show more content…
Linda knows that Mr.Flint is building her a house far from people, so he can do as he pleases with her. To avoid this cruel fait, Linda decided to engage in sexual relations with Mr.Sands, neighbor and "friend." She hopes to become pregnant, which will theoretically drive Mr.Flint to sell her and her child. This event is particularly important, because it doesn't only change the course of Linda's life, but it also gives insight to the extent enslaved girls' calvary. This decision came with a great burden to Linda. In her eyes, she was destroying her family's honor and her own. She had to make an unimaginable decision to a avoid an even more unimaginable future filled with sexual and psychological abuse. This book opens the door to a new conversation about slavery. It illustrates how slavery obliged individuals like Linda to do things they would never do would they be free. It degraded enslaved people to the point where their moral beliefs could no longer take center stage in their lives, instead survival had to be their priority, regardless of the consequences to their soul. This event deepened my understanding of the moral corruption slaves were subject to. It gave me another reason to despise slavery and all it came with. Every American should be aware of this. We should stop hiding behind a veil of subtlety and obliviousness and acknowledge the atrocities of …show more content…
The story of James was particularly heartbreaking. James was a young enslaved man who tried to escape from a plantation. He was captured a few weeks after the escape. His initial punishment was to be ceaselessly whipped by his overseer, but this wasn't the end of his horror. James was then placed between the screws of a cotton gin and eventually died an inhumane, unjust death. Before reading this book, I was aware of the punishments slaves received at the hands of slaveholders. I studied the variety of ways in which slaves were tortured and killed. But this account comes from someone who lived slavery in the flesh. It is not an myth, it was the constant reality of countless slaves. I used to believe that cruel Slaveholders were rare, but Linda says the contrary. In page 63, Linda states "I could tell of more slaveholders as cruel as those I have described. They are not exceptions to the general rule." With this statute want, is is rational to deduce that this this wasn't isolated; that this didn't only happen to James but to many others. The basic human rights of a person were taken away by slavery. Everything we consider basic rights today: life, freedom, and liberty were a distant dream for people in slavery. It is important for people to acknowledge that although it happened hundredths of years ago, slavery destroyed lives and those people are the