— Anonymous
The novel “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl” by Harriet Jacobs represent her cruel experienced the evils American slavery. I cannot imagine how cruel slavery can be when I heard from others or seen movies after I read the book I am shocked because the author shows real-life experience in her life how she abused, mistreated, assaulted. When I read the first sentence “I was born a slave” that is heartbreaking and makes me feel sad because I believe that any human cannot control over a human in their freedom life. But Harriet Jacobs (Linda) provides some facts that happened in her life, from the book she passes a happy life till the ages six after her mother died she goes to her mother’s mistress (slave owner). From the book, we also can know her mother’s mistress was a friendly and pretty good lady. But after mistress died the reality comes in Linda’s life. Instead of free to go to her home they set her in a new house as a slave. In the new house, Linda’s stability was the opposite because if she was a slave in her mother’s mistress house but they were friendly. Also in the second chapter, After her father died the next morning she wants to go to her father’s house to get permission but her mistress refuses her and orders to organize work for the party. This was so crucial because she might be missing her father but the slave owner ( her mistress ) do not show any sympathy. Also, in chapter three, the author informs that “if a slave is unwilling to go with his new master, he locked up in jail” that shows violating rights and injustice in human behavior. Also, she speaks the “New Year Eve” on the hiring day a mother loses all seven kids these are taken by the slave owners. All kid get separated from the family and start their life as a slave. Also, Linda’s master offers a sexual relationship with him when she was at the age of fifteen that she gets sexual assault because the master ages were forty and she was fifteen even he threats her not to say anyone about it. So I can say, slaveholders, not only lock up the whole life, but they also use them when they need physically especially women. Overall in the book, I can say, the author points out the struggle of a slave girl by telling her real-life experiences in a slaveholder house that is so crucial. I highly recommend to others read the novel to know that how a slave girl struggle in her life to get freedom from slaveholder.
