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A circumstance common to all slaves in the antebellum South was that of repression. Besides suppressing the rights of slaves, slave owners wanted to silence the voice of slaves as well. However, some of these voices eventually emerged to relay some of the most realistic tales of slavery. One such story was that of Harriet Ann Jacobs, who published Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl in 1861. This was the year in which the Civil War began, and so the question arises, why did Jacobs choose to publish her story? Perhaps it was just a manner by which Jacobs was able to release some of her anguish; however, it was more than just a slave’s tale. The purpose of the story is to show how the slaves were not given the universal right of being treated as humans, to show the irony in the actions of white people in relation to the slaves, and to make an appeal to the audience to support her cause.
One of the prominent themes in Jacobs’ tale is that of slaves treated as property. Slave owners refused to allow any sort of human qualities enter the lives of slaves. They were sold and bought at the will of the owners. Early on, Jacobs tries to contest this dehumanizing tactic when she mentions the teachings of Linda’s father “….they thought he had spoiled his children, by teaching them to feel that they were human beings” (Jacobs 10). Another instance of this behavior is when it is mentioned that a promise or anything in writing held by a slave is not legally binding. Similarly, because slaves themselves were considered property, they were not allowed to hold any sort of property. All of these policies were enforced to ensure the continued servitude of the slaves. Owners did not want their slaves to develop this sense of self for fear of rebellion, thus reinforcing the climate of repression adopted by owners.
Another aspect of this treatment that haunts Jacobs is the act of buying and selling slaves. She establishes her disdain very early in her narrative when she relates the story of how her grandmother was captured and sold along with the rest of her family. Eventually, both the narrator and her grandmother were handed over to Dr. Flint, and one of the first actions Dr. Flint takes is to put Linda’s grandmother on sale. Jacobs illustrates the unfairness of the situation by relating the extremely low price paid for her grandmother. This belief of Jacobs is epitomized in the conclusion of the narrative when Linda’s freedom is bought. Despite being overjoyed, the happiness is tainted by the nature of the sale “I well know the value of that bit of paper; but as much as I love freedom, I do not like to look upon it” (151). While white people are allowed freedom as a universal right, slaves only attained this right by means of a piece of paper. She feels that she never belonged to anyone, so no one had the right to buy her “….I despise the miscreant who demanded payment for what never rightfully belonged to him….” (151). All of these instances culminate to reveal Jacobs negative opinion of slaves being treated as property.
Another theme that is Jacobs dwells on in her narrative is that of hypocrisy and irony. The slave owners said things, but employed empty words; their words were meaningless to the slaves because the owners changed their promises to suit their needs. One such instance is the above-mentioned one regarding Linda’s grandmother. She had been promised freedom by her mistress, but upon her death, was put up for sale. This illustrates the two-faced nature of the slave owners. Another such instance was that of Luke, Linda’s friend in New York. He worked diligently for years only to receive harsh punishments in return. He eventually underhandedly attains money after his master dies. Only, Jacobs justifies this action “When a man has his wages stolen from him, year after year, and the laws sanction and enforce the theft, how can he be expected to have more regard to honesty than has the man who robs him?” (146). These are two of the stronger instances of the hypocrisy of slave owners with their slaves.
In addition to these examples, the most prominent instance of the hypocrisy of the slave owners is in Dr. Flint’s treatment of Linda. As she is mentioned to be attractive, Dr. Flint wants to pursue her sexually. Not only does he corrupt her thoughts, but he also tries to isolate her from everyone she knows to take advantage of her. The same situation would never arise with a white woman. Similarly, Dr. Flint is careful to keep the circumstances secret to maintain his reputation in town. As a consequence, Linda purposely becomes pregnant, hoping this would at last ward off Dr. Flint “But, O, ye happy women, whose purity has been sheltered from childhood, who have been free to choose the objects of your affection, whose homes are protected by law, do not judge the poor desolate slave girl too severely!” (17). This only serves to strengthen Jacobs’ belief in the hypocrisy of her situation as a slave.
Besides her themes of de-humanization and hypocrisy, Jacobs also uses her narrative to appeal to the reader to take action on her behalf and on behalf of slaves in general. One obvious way this is accomplished is by the narrative itself. By relating the events of her life and also those of other people in her life, she creates an atmosphere of sympathy toward the plight of slaves. Apparent from these anecdotes is the cruel treatment of slaves, often through hypocrisy and ill intentions. Other times the actions are motivated by money, such as Mr. Dodge’s pursuit of Linda in New York. By relating that particular story, Linda shows how much of a trial her entire life has been “What a disgrace to a city calling itself free, that inhabitants, guiltless of offence, and seeking to perform their duties conscientiously, should be condemned to live in such incessant fear, and have nowhere to turn for protection!” (145). Sentiments such as these are used to arouse sympathy in hearts of the northerners, who have the strongest power to help the slaves.
The most effective manner by which Jacobs arouses sympathy for the cause of slaves is through the direct appeal to the reader. Jacobs first uses this tactic to address her problems with Dr. Flint. She appeals to the Northern readers that they would not do the same work if they were in that same situation. An even more direct appeal follows at the end of this part of the narrative “….why are ye silent, ye free men and women of the north?” (16). At the conclusion of the story, Jacobs changes her tone to again make the reader sympathize with the slaves. Though she has attained freedom, it is at a cost, and despite everything, things will never be the same for her as her white counterparts. She mentions that she would like to forget, but instead she relates the story. The purpose then is to create sympathy in the hearts of those who can then work to make a difference.
To conclude, Jacobs chooses to publish her narrative despite having personal hesitations in revealing her story. However, she chooses to do so for a number of reasons. First, she wants to portray her feelings about the treatment of slaves as property. She lived her entire life as an object sold and bought, and eventually was bought into freedom. Despite attaining that freedom though, the piece of paper evidencing her freedom remains as a haunting memory. Also, the narrative serves to reveal the hypocrisy of slave owners in their relations with their slaves. What they consider to be proper for white people is not the acceptable for slaves. Jacobs portrays this fact through numerous incidents such as the legal rights of slaves as well as Dr. Flint’s treatment of Linda. Most important though, Jacobs hoped to create sympathy for slaves in the hearts of Northerners. Perhaps she wanted to spur the Northerners to pursue abolition more vehemently, but as the story was published in the first year of the civil war, it probably served more as a tool to give heart to the Northern fighters; they were not only fighting to maintain the Union, but to uphold the ideal of the Constitution that states that “all men are created equal.”
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