Mid Term Paper on Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl

(Question 3)

In the “Life of a Slave Girl” by Harriet Jacobs with the pseudonym Linda Brent, there are

many examples of abuse that she deals with whether it be mental, physical or even emotional

during her time in slaveholding. Many stories of which she hated to expound on when she was

writing her narrative because the whole experience was very traumatizing. Many times,

slaveowners but specifically in the situation of the book (Dr. Flint) tries to inflict power over

Linda. But there are also times when Linda combats these ways of control that Dr. Flint tries to

inflict on her and she inverts the dynamic of the slave system and shows she’s in control of her

situation and how she is her own person and gains her own freedom. Here’s a couple ways

where she has been able to invert the whole dynamic/relationship between Dr. Flint

The first thing that Dr. Flint did to invoke his power over Linda was sexual harassment.

Whether it be physical or verbal Dr. Flint suppressed her to it. It’s very disheartening to hear

Linda’s account about it through the book as you can tell it affected her. Dr. Flint’s view was as

any slaveowner at the time which was slave were an extent of property and lawfully owned by

the slaveowner. Dr. Flint did this relentlessly we can see this as Linda says “He peopled my

young mind with unclean images, such as only a vile monster could think of. I turned from him

with disgust and hatred. But he was my master. I was compelled to live under the same roof

with him- where I saw a man of forty years my senior daily violating the most sacred

commandments of nature.”(Chapter 7) Linda essentially has to deal with his advances as she
feels the guilt of feeling owned and having to serve but you sense and understand her hate of it

and how it effects he negatively. We also see how bad of a person Dr. Flint is verbally saying

awful and disgusting things to her. You can see examples of this all the time in the book and it’s

so heartbreaking to hear the pain and frustration and sadness which Linda must deal with this

and live with what circumstances are for her. She tries to fight it as much as she could. Linda

found help and solace through family through her brother William and her grandmother but

sometimes it was never enough as she felt like no one would understand her situation. Dr. Flint

made her feel like she had no control and she was supposed to feel like someone who can be

used or “Cattel” which is frequently referred to in the book for slaves who go through hard

circumstances with their masters.

The Second thing he did to inflict power over Linda was giving/saying threatful things to her. I

think he did this for a lot of reasons. When he said threatful things I think he wanted her to feel

insecure and that she didn’t necessarily have the solace or happiness. He wasn’t keen on her

feeling humanized whether it be through family or through true emotion of happiness or

freedom. She always felt watched and didn’t feel safe and it was always his word over hers. If

she brought up her marriage or her opinion she would be threatened physically and hurt

physically or her family and life would be put in jeopardy. He would often threaten her children

as he knew they meant the world to her and he knew how much they affected her. Dr. Flint

claimed he could sell them to other high slave-owning bidders as he needed the money which

suited his needs. He would also threaten to break them in as field slaves which was sometimes

unusual for her children who were only infants. Flint tries to make it known to Linda that he still

owns her and her children and that he has the wish with what he ever wants to do with them.
Linda sees this as a threat to her and her beloved family, which she cares about so much but it

was all to show his power. He always threatened the separation of their family as Linda said “He

threatened to beat the children, if they went near the grandmother who was kind to

them.”(Chapter 7) We can see the Dr. Flint had a watchful eye and did not like the children

Ellen or Benny to run away to their grandmothers house he didn’t like that Linda lived her own

separate life. He threatened not only her freedom but the very thing she lived and loved for in

her life which was her family. He wanted to restrict her freedom as much as possible.

The Third and last thing he did was Physical confinement. Dr Flint. Would confine Linda to a

small house just out of town so he could sexually harass her. He used confinement as a way to

keep her away from the things and people she loved. But in reality, he did it because people

were finding out about Dr. Flint and Linda and he made the house so Mrs. Flint would be

satisfied but yet it was only in the best interest of Dr. Flint. Dr. Flint would give her empty

promises in confinement as a way to show that in his eyes there were “better” alternatives like

working in the fields. Or help around the house in certain duties but performed too an absolute

tee. But Linda could see right through it. Dr. Flint would always use confinement as a

punishment to make her reflect emotionally and hurt her mentally. He tried to make her feel

bad about her situation and also at times restricted and threatened what people could see her.

Very much in correlation to a prison. Dr. Flint made it a continuous point that she would forever

be his as property to his daughter and their family and tries to exert the slave/master dynamic

all the time no matter how evil it was.

instead of resorting to something like violence she does it through sheer determination and will

to earn her own freedom with her children to show she is more than what Dr. Flint and his

Family seem to think she is. The first thing Linda does and inverts the dynamic is she Hides for

seven years. Linda fools all the slaveowners in the area by making them think she has run off to

the North with some connections. Little do they know; it was like a game of cat and mouse.

Linda would often move a lot from the Maids house to floorboards in her house during the

beginning. But she eventually ended up in Her grandmother’s attic which was filled with bugs

and insects. Through sheer determination, through awful weather, conditions and threats Linda

shows that she is in control of her future by deciding she wants to leave the awful condition of

the flints. Even though the seven years were difficult she shows that she was willing to risk not

seeing her children in order to outwit the flints into letting her go and making them give up. She

wanted freedom for her family and kids more than anything else and she was determined to

find a way by outwaiting and planning with Mr. Sands. This shows the power which Linda now

holds. Her Decisions while risky are up to her and she has to decide her future for her kids and

family through risky business and passing of information.

The second thing Linda does is she Escapes through Uncle Phillip and Peter Linda is able to

make connections and make an ideal escape with her family to the North. While her children

Ellen and Benny would be in different cities or states. Linda found a way through Mr. Sands. Her

Uncle Phillip and Peter also helped find a boat and some crew to help her leave for a state

where she could find some form of safety. Even though in the North there was still prejudice

and the threat of slaveowners or “tools” looking for their runaway slaves. Linda switches the
dynamic by moving away. She shows that she has her own life and needs. Like how her goal is to

help her kids get an education and to make sure they are safe. She shows that she can live her

own life by trying to be a grandmother or caretaker for Mrs. Bruce and her child. She gets

frequent letters from Mr. Flint and his daughter, yet she ignores them knowing she has her own

will and determination. She knows she doesn’t have to tell them anything and she holds the

power to make her own decisions for her welfare and for her kids. When she escapes while she

still deals with prejudice and sometimes her safety she is in a far better position to make her

own decisions for herself and live the life of regaining her own control.

The third thing Linda does is write her narrative and becomes and abolitionist. Years after

Linda is purchased for $300 from the Dodge’s she can finally feel and be free like she always

wanted. Even though she hated the notion that it was through “purchasing” that she was set

free. There’s at least a comfort and happiness that she can finally be free. Linda says near the

end of the book “Reader, my story ends with freedom; not in the usual way, with marriage. I

and my children are new free! We are free from the power of slave holders as are the white

people of the north and though that, according to my ideas, is not saying a great deal, it is a vast

improvement of my condition.” (Chapter 41) Linda finds a sort of happiness that she can be free

the way She and Her family wanted to be. Even though the laws and social practices permit

certain things. There is however, somewhat of a sadness to it as she talks about her good

grandmother. While she does appreciate her she does find sadness that she will no longer be

able to see her as she gets older. Linda is able to write her narrative years after reflecting on her

experiences Maria Child, one of the editors encourages her to do so. While it is painful.

Mentally, physically, emotionally she knows that this will help her change the slave dynamic.
While a difficult experience we can also see Linda sharing her narrative is her shifting the

dynamic itself by her showing the trials she went through but also her determination to have a

goal to earn her rights to be free with her kids. It’s proclaiming to anyone who reads that while

a troublesome tale Linda did not back down. She found her control. Her writing about traumatic

experiences shows that deep down she is not afraid to conquer anything and will take the

challenge head on if it meant it would set her free or help her gain the rights she really needed.

She also becomes a future abolitionist helping to further my point that she is gaining control by

taking the experiences of the evil of slavery and taking them head on by warning others how

difficult it is for one to live with control and have rights. I think she is very brave for becoming an

abolitionist because it shows that she was willing to stand up to northern citizens, lawmakers

that she risked so much for herself and others to make the ultimate sacrifice of being free.

Overall, I think going over everything. We see Linda changes the Slave/Master dynamic by

showing she has control over herself. Mentally, Physically, Emotionally. She flips the table on not

just Mr. Flint but Slavery itself. She shows that later in the book she becomes the Master of her

life. She takes control of it as much as she can. She fights for it. Because it is the right thing to

do. Mr. Flint is left to make his own confessions near the end with so very little to show in a

weak position with hatred for others. Linda on the other end has a lot to live for her children,

pay, better living conditions. She stands up to the evils of the institution she lived in. Called out

its flaws and biases. She stands up for things which she knows should be better or right. Her

story is tragic, yet I think it’s important to think about the narrative and the people who wrote
it/apart of it. Linda did all those things because she had hope for a better life and to show that

she was her own person and she controlled her destiny.