Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl | Reading Pointers for Sharper Insights

Reading Pointers for Sharper Insights

  1. To better appreciate Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, consider some of the following themes that the book introduces:

    • Knowledge can be the key to power and to freedom.

    • Just because a practice is legal does not mean that it is morally correct.

    • Faith can be a great comfort in times of distress, but people also tend to question their faith during these times.

    • A society can be judged by how it treats its poorest or weakest members.

    • People often fail to recognize it when their moral choices are in conflict with the religion or philosophy they propose to uphold.

    • Mental and emotional pain and suffering are sometimes even worse than physical suffering.

    • Family loyalty and a sense of community are of great significance, especially during times of extreme hardship.

    • When people are forced to live under deplorable conditions, the range of moral choices available to them can be restricted.

    • Slavery is harmful to both slaves and slave owners.

  2. It is important to consider the historical context in which the book was written. Harriet Jacobs began writing Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl in 1853 and published the book in 1861. The following are some helpful things to know about that time:

    • Slavery was legal throughout the American South and was a large and important part of the South's economy.

    • Slavery was prohibited in many of the northern states, and many slaves attempted to escape to the North in hopes of gaining freedom.

    • The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 had recently passed. This law mandated that all states, even free ones, must aid in the capture and return of fugitive slaves. It was illegal to help or harbor a runaway slave.

    • Even in the free states, Jim Crow laws were in effect. These laws served as a system to keep blacks separate from whites and to keep blacks from having the same rights or privileges as whites.

    • Abraham Lincoln was elected president in 1861. Fearing that the new president would threaten their slaveholding economy, eleven southern states seceded from the Union and the Civil War began.

    • In 1863, Lincoln issued his Emancipation Proclamation, which freed the Confederate slaves.

  3. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl is considered a “slave narrative,” a written, autobiographical account of the life of a slave. This particular narrative is actually the autobiography of Harriet Jacobs. In the book, however, she has changed her own name and the names of many other characters. She did this to protect family and friends still in slavery, as well as people who helped her. Many slave narratives up to this point detailed the lives of male slaves. In Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Harriet Jacobs focuses specifically on the female slave experience. Because of this, some critics define it as a feminist work. Aside from the female perspective, the book contains many characteristics that nearly all slave narratives share. Note the following characteristics of the slave narrative:

    • an autobiographical account of the slave's journey from bondage to freedom

    • detailed depictions of the violence and degradation suffered by slaves

    • a focus on literacy as a key to freedom

    • an endorsement by a white editor or friend testifying to the authenticity of the work

    • the significance of religion and the use of biblical stories

  4. One more important characteristic of the slave narrative is its emulation of the biblical account of the Jews' search for a promised land where they would be free from bondage and persecution. The plight of the Jews in the Old Testament parallels the plight of the American slave in the slave narrative. Both stories begin with bondage and oppression. A long and perilous journey across boundaries is undertaken. Finally, there is the arrival at a place which promises freedom. Themes of escape, redemption, the yearning for a home, and the search for freedom are significant in both accounts. Note the many biblical references in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, especially those of the Old Testament.

  5. Understand some of the symbols that occur in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl.

    • Snakes symbolize both birth and death in the story. Snakes appear prominently during Linda's journey to the North. As a snake sheds its skin, Linda sheds her old life as a slave and is reborn. However, the road to freedom is dangerous, and snakes seem to remind Linda that death is never far away.

    • Bloodhounds symbolize the Fugitive Slave Act and the hunters who carry it out, sniffing out the trails of runaway slaves.

    • While literacy is a means to achieve freedom, the written word itself in newspapers, books, abolitionist tracts, etc., is a symbol of freedom.

  6. Recognize some of the motifs that appear in the book. Motifs are recurring elements that serve to structure the story and to support certain themes. The following are some of the motifs that occur in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl:

    • the crossing of boundaries

    • the exchange of money

    • deception and disguises

    • family loyalty and a mother's love for her children

    • mental and physical confinement

    • biblical quotations and biblical stories

    • courage