Under the prevailing conditions the woman is invariably eclipsed by the mother in a slave. If sexual assault makes her wish to die, motherhood kept her alive: “I had often prayed for death; but now I did not want to die, unless my child could die too” (ILSG 58). The love for her children ignites the spark of escape in Linda. Her masters are quite aware that Linda loves her children. The children can be used as a kind of gambling stake, but ironically this stake works both ways. The children won’t be sold into slavery as long as Linda is not under her masters’ control. Jacobs is highly keen in recognizing her master’s weakness and turning it to her own gain. After enduring enormous pain and torture, Linda escapes successfully to the North and
