Student Question
Analyze the meaning of Harriet Jacobs's quote "He that is willing to be a slave, let him be a slave" in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl.
Quick answer:
The meaning of Harriet Jacobs's quote "He that is willing to be a slave, let him be a slave" in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl centers around the hope that maintaining a spirit of perseverance in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds can lead slaves to an eventual freedom.
This quote is found at the conclusion of chapter 4, following the eventual freedom that Benjamin finds in New York.
Grandmother accepts the plight of the family, believing that God has intentionally placed them on the Earth to live as slaves for a specific purpose:
Most earnestly did she strive to make us feel that it was the will of God: that He had seen fit to place us under such circumstances; and though it seemed hard, we ought to pray for contentment.
However, Benjamin can't find any contentment in being a slave. Instead, he makes a great escape effort but is unfortunately captured and thrown in jail. Grandmother begs him to ask his master for forgiveness. Benjamin is steadfast, replying, "Forgive me for what, mother? For not letting him treat me like a dog? No! I will never humble myself to him."
It is this spirit of determination that...
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is evident in the family's quote as the chapter closes. Benjamin refuses to apologize for failing to submit to "stripes and imprisonment" and resigns himself to his fate of being sold and separated from his mother and family. Still, he holds tight to a spirit of perseverance, clinging to the possibility of eventual freedom.
This quest to be the master of his own fate pushes Benjamin to make another escape attempt, and this second attempt is successful. After receiving information about a safe travel route from a white former acquaintance, Benjamin successfully reaches New York and freedom.
Benjamin was not willing to be a slave, and he resolved to take any opportunity which presented itself to change his circumstances. Of course, many slaves were given no such opportunities, so there is an understated tragedy in the statement that those who are "willing" to be slaves will remain slaves. Still, the quote is a powerful example of hope that those who are determined to change their destinies have the power to accomplish extraordinary feats, particularly to escape the horrific injustice of slavery.