Women in Slavery
&
Use of an Autobiography as a Political Protest
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Harriet Ann Jacobs (1861)
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs is a timeless autobiography that speaks to generations about the true life of a slave girl. I think what makes this particular autobiography stand out to me is that it is written by a woman and it is for women. She is recounting these terrible times of her life to help other women and as a plea to the free women in the North. The novel serves as a medium for understanding. Jacobs wrote it so that people everywhere would understand what she and so many others suffered through.
Her story is also unique because previous slave narratives were focused on the physical abuse and the hardships for a male slave. She told her story from a more domestic prospective and focused on the sexual exploitation as well. She even points out that, “Slavery was terrible for men; but it is far more terrible for women.” Repeatedly she recounts anecdotes of the emotional agony that slave women face when being forced to give up their children as well as the sexual abuse they had to endure.
Throughout the novel, she interjects direct dialogue to the reader. One example of this is, “Reader, be assured that this narrative is no fiction. I am aware that some of my adventures may seem incredible; but they are, nevertheless, strictly true. I have not exaggerated the wrongs inflicted by Slavery; on the contrary, my descriptions fall far short of the facts.” This is at the very beginning of the autobiography and it seems like she is establishing her credibility with the reader and saying that because she did live through this, she has the right to have an opinion about the horrors that were caused from Slavery. Her many interjections to the reader are where her political protest comes through. She is reminding you that she is a real person and this really happened. It essentially brings you back down to earth as a reader.
Her story is also unique because previous slave narratives were focused on the physical abuse and the hardships for a male slave. She told her story from a more domestic prospective and focused on the sexual exploitation as well. She even points out that, “Slavery was terrible for men; but it is far more terrible for women.” Repeatedly she recounts anecdotes of the emotional agony that slave women face when being forced to give up their children as well as the sexual abuse they had to endure.
Throughout the novel, she interjects direct dialogue to the reader. One example of this is, “Reader, be assured that this narrative is no fiction. I am aware that some of my adventures may seem incredible; but they are, nevertheless, strictly true. I have not exaggerated the wrongs inflicted by Slavery; on the contrary, my descriptions fall far short of the facts.” This is at the very beginning of the autobiography and it seems like she is establishing her credibility with the reader and saying that because she did live through this, she has the right to have an opinion about the horrors that were caused from Slavery. Her many interjections to the reader are where her political protest comes through. She is reminding you that she is a real person and this really happened. It essentially brings you back down to earth as a reader.