— Kevin Pagan
In Harriet Jacobs’ “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl,” you can see that slavery was an evil that affected everyone. The masters would abuse their power and make the lives of slaves miserable. At a young age, kids learn from observation and watching their fathers brutalize slaves most likely corrupted their minds. Nicholas Flint is a great example. He is just as dreadful as his father, Dr. Flint, and even makes him jealous through his own sexual advances on Linda. As for the slaves themselves, there was no end to the vicious cycle. The phrase, “the child shall follow the condition of the mother,” meant that if the mother was considered “property,” then the child was part of that “property,” too. Knowing this, Linda didn’t even want her children to be born to live under the atrocious conditions she has lived through. This is evident when she finds out her second child is going to be a girl. She states, “When they told me my new-born babe was a girl, my heart was heavier than it had ever been before. Slavery is terrible for men; but it is far more terrible for women.” Her heart was heavier than it had ever been before because it was an indirect reminder to the “trials of girlhood”. No mother would ever want their child to be put through that and this is where her rebellious side finds even more strength. She was already a strong woman and her kids are what pushed her to escape and fight for her freedom. The thought of her kids being sold and kept away from her for the rest of her life also pushed her to find a way to liberate them from the horror of slavery.
