Incidents In The Life Of A Slave Girl By Harriet Jacobs

Harlan Dawkins

Professor Amy Liebert

HIS 265

29 March 2023

Written by Herself: A Summary of Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, written by Harriet Jacobs, follows the story of an enslaved woman on her journey to freedom. It portrays the exploitation and abuse of enslavement, especially that wasdirected at women. Incidents is one of the first narratives written and published by an enslaved woman, and it tells the story of a woman who was able to not just survive, but fight for her rights as a person during enslavement.

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, written by Harriet Jacobs under the pseudonym Linda Brent, follows the story of an enslaved woman on her journey to escape and

Living in the Flint’s home, Linda and William are experiencing intense abuse and harrassment. Linda especially is being continuously harassed by Dr. Flint, and Mrs. Flint becomes very jealous and aggressive. Linda describes her as lazy when running her home, but energetic when whipping her slaves. Rather than find sympathy for their enslaved, many plantation mistresses would turn against them for “seducing” their husbands. Linda tells the story of an enslaved mother giving birth to her master’s child with extreme complications, while her mistress stands above her jeering that she deserves to die. The girl's mother says, “‘The baby is dead, thank God; and I hope my poor child will soon be in Heaven, too." "Heaven!" retorted the mistress. "There is no such place for the like of her and her bastard.’” (Jacobs,

The book begins by introducing us to Linda and her family, then follows her through teen and adulthood where she experienced intense sexual harassment at the hands of her master. It takes us with linda on her escape to the free Northern states, including the seven years she spent in an attic crawlspace. It depicts the horrors of slavery that were directed at women specifically, including sexual exploitation and abuse. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl is a primary source– although she uses a pseudonym and writes as if she is simply a first person character, the story actually follows Harriet’s own experiences. I highly recommend reading this book, especially if you are studying Women’s or African American History. The full title of this book is Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl: Written by Herself. This is one of the first narratives written and published by an enslaved woman, and it is so important to acknowledge that subtitle– Harriet was able to maintain her dignity and pride and strength throughout her life, all the way to the end. Her strength is represented through this