The Journey From Slavery to Freedom in 'Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl' Essay

'Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl' is an autobiography authored by Harriet Jacobs and first published in 1861. Born into slavery, Jacobs uses the pseudo name Linda Brent to give an account of what she went through since her childhood and her struggle for freedom from slavery. Following her mother's death, Linda is sent to stay at her mother's mistress house. This mistress treats her well and life seems normal until she dies and Linda is placed under the custody of the mistress' relative. This relative is so cruel that Linda craves for freedom. To make matters worse, the man of the house, Dr. Flint lusts for her and she hatches a plan to consent to a love affair with a white neighbor, Mr. Sands, with the hope that as soon as Flint learns about it, he will throw her out. However, her plan flops. She soon gets two children with Sands and it becomes difficult to escape with them. Her escape becomes so hard that she has to hide for seven years before she reunites with her daughter and later her son. Coincidentally, the Congress passes the Fugitive Slave Act that makes things worse for Linda. She is due for possible abduction and re-enslavement. In this text, Jacobs presents, to the 19th-century reader, an extraordinary freedom journey that encompasses sincerity, a powerful persona, the torturous aspect of slavery and the difficult journey to freedom.

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Jacobs seeks to tell a true story of her life as a slave. At the preface, she assures the reader that the story is a true account of what she went through. This assurance is a way of asserting her authority so as to dispel any fears that her story may be fictitious. At the time she wrote this book, Jacobs knew that so many stories of slaves were considered incredible by the whites. Those who supported slavery, in particular, often dismissed such stories as mere fabrications. Perhaps this explains why Jacobs does not hesitate in assuring the reader that her narrative is strictly true; she has not exaggerated any evil perpetrated on slaves (Jacobs 5). The only thing that she has done is concealing the names of people and places for security reasons. The tone of this assurance is enough to convince the reader that Jacobs has nothing to hide. It demonstrates that Jacobs is ready to open her heart and present her journey from slavery to freedom in such a sincere manner that the 19th-century reader has no choice but to believe her. Even the courage to pen down her experiences could only be considered rebellious since she is expected by the white society to be submissive and illiterate. It is her own unique way of persuading the reader to believe in her cause and support her.

By using the voice of a female slave, Jacobs communicates a very strong message of hope to the 19th-century reader. She deliberately begins by using the voice of a child female slave to capture the attention of the reader and powerfully communicate a message about the atrocities committed against slaves. The persona, Linda, describes her childhood as 'happy' and says that she was born a slave but never knew it until she turned six (Jacobs 11). This beginning portrays the innocence of any child born into slavery. It tells of the circumstances in which one may find themselves yet emancipation seems elusive. Many children born of slave parents were not even aware of their status since in most cases, they led a normal life, playing with their bosses' children and being treated well. However, Linda begins her slavery journey at a tender age. The most difficult part of the journey begins as soon as her mother dies when she is only six. She then stays with her mother's kind mistress for some time. Unfortunately, as fate would have it, this mistress also dies when Linda is twelve, and she soon finds herself in the hands of a cruel relative, Dr. Flint (Jacobs 15). This relative seems to be the one that provokes Linda's awareness that she is a slave. To make matters worse, he makes advances at her. Linda's fight for freedom sees her get into an illicit affair, give birth to two children, and try escaping to the North. All this does not come easily. She makes sacrifices and suffers a lot. By revealing such experiences, Jacobs foregrounds the suffering that slaves undergo with the hope that someone will take a step to help emancipate them.

Jacobs goes on to communicate a message loaded with the psychological torment that female slaves had to go through. The reader is able to infer the idea that being a slave was not easy. It is particularly difficult for females. When she becomes expectant for the second time, her owner, Dr. Flint, becomes crueler. He hurls terrible insults at her and swears to make her suffer to her last day. When her baby is born and she realizes that it is a baby girl, Linda seems appalled since according to her, "slavery is terrible for men, but it is far more terrible for women" (Jacobs 119). This she says from her own experience. Apart from contributing prolifically to slavery literature, such a statement and experience depict the psychological torture that female slaves had to endure. Most of the literature written by men on slavery mainly reveals the physical pain inflicted on them by their masters as some even fought them. Now, with this other dimension of emotional pain, it is easier to understand the message of slavery. Dr. Flint even asks Linda to stand before him with her four-day-old baby and insults her. Due to the weakness, having given birth only four days before, Linda faints. Dr. Flint is obviously angry with Linda for having turned down his advances yet she had gone ahead to have children with another man. Jacobs seems to emphasize the fact that beatings and starvation may have been terrible for the slaves but the sexual harassment and mental torture perpetrated on female slaves was even more horrible. This different narrative of slavery reveals to the 19th-century reader that the distresses of slavery are not confined to physical pain but the psychological one as well. The journey to freedom is, therefore, inevitable, though difficult.

Jacobs stresses the fact that for the freedom to be achieved, a slave had to focus on the fight irrespective of the circumstances. Being confronted with difficulties does not mean the death of the fighting spirit. Jacob's audience is mainly the 19th-century white reader. The reader has to be made aware that slavery is terrible and has to come to an end. Jacobs starts her fight very early in life. As soon as she is handed over to Dr. Flint, Linda realizes that her tough journey to freedom has just begun. She says that when he tells her that she was created for his use, to obey him and reminds her that she is "nothing but a slave", she feels stronger than ever before as she painfully reflects on these sentiments (Jacobs 29). She seems ready to show Dr. Flint that although he legally owns her, she still has the power to fight against his inhuman character. This explains why she resists his sexual harassment and finally schemes an escape. The escape to the North is particularly difficult since she has two little children. She is forced to hide in an attic for seven years as she plans her next move. Eventually, Linda escapes and is reunited with her children. The struggle reveals to the reader that although the master may have total control of the slave's body, their spirits are still free. With a free spirit, it becomes possible to fight for freedom.

Finally, Jacobs takes the reader into the world of freedom from slavery. The journey has been long. As it ends, Linda, the persona, says that her "story ends with freedom; not in the usual way, with marriage" (Jacobs 302). She adds that although she has not yet realized the dream of her life to have a home of her own, at last, she and her children are now "as free from the power of slaveholders as are the white people of the north" (Jacobs 302). Linda is happy that she is finally able to enjoy the privileges of freedom that she has never before. The unusual way in which she says she is free is highly symbolic of the unusual strategy she uses to shape her autobiographical text. Considering that she has no home of her own, she may not necessarily be considered free. Nevertheless, by using popular literature to tell a true story, Jacobs seeks to have the 19th-century reader identify with her tale and understand the seemingly unconventional twists and turns that characterize it. Apart from having assured the reader at the beginning of the text that this is a true story, Jacobs has also pointed out that "if slavery had been abolished", she would have married a man of her choice and "have a home shielded by laws" (Jacobs 83). This explains the kind of frustration that she has had to bear all through the struggle. Yet, she winds up by saying that she would gladly forget the pain she has gone through as a slave (Jacobs 303). This communicates a very powerful message and lays the foundation for abolitionist movements and the road to emancipation. Jacobs has told her story in an unusual way that captures the attention of the reader.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is clear that Jacobs has made a very strong point on the issue of slavery. Having led a noteworthy life that spanned slavery and freedom, she understands too clearly the pain of slavery and the joy of freedom, especially for the woman. She uses Linda as the persona in her slavery and freedom story that begins from childhood to adulthood. The story is full of gory circumstances that Linda is forced to go through before she is even able to understand her womanhood. Her anguish and pain in the hands of a cruel master, Dr. Flint make the reader understand why slavery is terrible, particularly for the woman. It also makes the reader understand that the atrocities of slavery are not limited to hard labor, starvation, and infliction of physical pain. Linda's story brings in a different aspect of slavery. Upon this understanding, the 19th-century reader is able to appreciate the fact that the journey to freedom from slavery is tough and a slave should not be judged on the basis of the legal and moral values of the free world. Jacobs has put her point across. Therefore, it is now upon the reader to act so that such atrocities against humanity as slavery will never happen again. Even with nothing to her name, Jacobs enjoys her freedom from slavery. The journey was tough but ultimately fruitful.

References

Jacobs, H. A. (2009). Incidents in the life of a slave girl: Written by herself (Vol. 119). Harvard University Press.