In Harriet Jacobs’s novel, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, is one of the many slave narratives about how slave women survived slavery. In this novel, Jacobs will outline her personal life events to persuade northern women to fight against slavery. Readers will experience her realization of being a slave, unbeknownst to her due to the sacrifices of the women in her family; how she felt about her maternal figures (i.e. mother & grandmother) truly selfless beings and her own self-preservation skills that built her family. We will follow Jacobs’s childhood where she was shielded from slavery until the death of her mother, her self-preservation to cope with her new reality of slavery and her mental and physical self-sacrifice for her children.
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The mistress even promised the mother on her dying bed that she would look after Jacobs and her brother. That care included teaching Jacobs how to read and write. Jacobs recalls fond memories of reading like this, “My mistress had taught the precepts of God’s Word…” (Jacobs 11). Learning God’s word is very important during these trying times as a child, especially for Jacobs after the passing of her mother finding comfort in God’s word to ease your pain. Readers can further depict this moment as a turning point in Jacobs’s life due to having an education that made her different from other slaves. When everything starts getting better there is always a moment that can ruin a person’s life instantly. That’s what happen to Jacobs because her kind mistress passed away and also willed Jacobs to her sister’s daughter. If you thing Jacobs hits rock bottom after this critical moment it only gets worse from this moment …show more content…
Jacobs has been living with the Flints for a couple of years now, but each passing year gets harder and harder. Dealing with a jealous wife that thinks her child gives her child caregiver more affection. Jacobs even states, “I love her, and she returned my affection” (Jacobs 20). It shows the true bound between caregiver and child that can only get stronger with more interaction. This relationship between Jacobs and the child caused Mrs. Flint to be jealous over their special bond. Dr. Flint is slowly setting his claim on Jacobs. He even claimed that she was his property and was allowed to do anything to her because she was chattel (Jacobs 26). Dr. Flint is thrusting his authority on Jacobs because he wants her and does not want anyone else to have her. Jacobs want to be able to make that decision for herself and also avoid Dr. Flint’s affection. His jealous wife does not trust him and keeps her eyes on him at all times especially around slave women that catch his eye. She even treats the mulatto children unjustly to spite her husband. Jacobs doing her best at keeping Dr. Flint at arm’s length, but his affections get stronger. Claiming that he will “make a lady out of her” (Jacobs 32). Jacobs figures out a way to preserve herself so she will not be a mistress to Dr. Flint. Jacobs finally gained the mentality need to survive another say of slavery until freedom is granted to
The mistress even promised the mother on her dying bed that she would look after Jacobs and her brother. That care included teaching Jacobs how to read and write. Jacobs recalls fond memories of reading like this, “My mistress had taught the precepts of God’s Word…” (Jacobs 11). Learning God’s word is very important during these trying times as a child, especially for Jacobs after the passing of her mother finding comfort in God’s word to ease your pain. Readers can further depict this moment as a turning point in Jacobs’s life due to having an education that made her different from other slaves. When everything starts getting better there is always a moment that can ruin a person’s life instantly. That’s what happen to Jacobs because her kind mistress passed away and also willed Jacobs to her sister’s daughter. If you thing Jacobs hits rock bottom after this critical moment it only gets worse from this moment …show more content…
Jacobs has been living with the Flints for a couple of years now, but each passing year gets harder and harder. Dealing with a jealous wife that thinks her child gives her child caregiver more affection. Jacobs even states, “I love her, and she returned my affection” (Jacobs 20). It shows the true bound between caregiver and child that can only get stronger with more interaction. This relationship between Jacobs and the child caused Mrs. Flint to be jealous over their special bond. Dr. Flint is slowly setting his claim on Jacobs. He even claimed that she was his property and was allowed to do anything to her because she was chattel (Jacobs 26). Dr. Flint is thrusting his authority on Jacobs because he wants her and does not want anyone else to have her. Jacobs want to be able to make that decision for herself and also avoid Dr. Flint’s affection. His jealous wife does not trust him and keeps her eyes on him at all times especially around slave women that catch his eye. She even treats the mulatto children unjustly to spite her husband. Jacobs doing her best at keeping Dr. Flint at arm’s length, but his affections get stronger. Claiming that he will “make a lady out of her” (Jacobs 32). Jacobs figures out a way to preserve herself so she will not be a mistress to Dr. Flint. Jacobs finally gained the mentality need to survive another say of slavery until freedom is granted to