It
goes without argument that it was a tough life for any dark-skinned person
living in the south during the slave era. Harriet Jacobs was no exception.
Growing up, she may have had it easy, but she was simply one of the lucky ones.
Eventually, her luck wore out when she was six and she found herself serving
Dr. Flint, the ruthless master who assaulted Jacobs violently, sexually, and
verbally. Although she was still young at the time, she was not shown any mercy
because she was a woman nor fully black. Being a female mulatto was certainly
no easier than being any other type of slave.
Jacobs
was brought up from a respected family. Her grandmother even had an obituary
written about her when she passed away, which was an enormous honor as a black
woman. Because Jacobs was not fully black, some may think she had it easier
than fully black slaves. However, Dr. Flint definitely gave no attention to
that matter and treated her evenly, if not worse, than everyone else. She was
frequently beaten and scorned for petty things.
She
was also shown no mercy because she was a woman. This is much more obvious,
because men did not have to constantly ward off attacks from their masters.
Women on the other hand were often being raped. Jacobs directly stated she was
attacked sexually. Furthermore, it is presumed her mother was raped as well
because she, a black woman, gave birth to a mulatto. Although women were rarely
expected to do the physical labor of men, they were still expected to carry
their part around the house as well as tend to livestock. Woman certainly did
not have it easier than men, and because there was so much women had to look
out for, I believe they even had it harder than men.
Evidently,
it was hard for both mulattos and women living in the slave era. However, how
bad could it be for a person who was a mulatto and a woman? This is one major argument in Jacobs’s novel, and her
story definitely proves it was a very difficult life being a woman mulatto. The
only thing which protected her was her family, but they were often owned by
another person, so they could not help her too much. She relied mostly upon
herself, which is why she is such a strong character.
Jacobs
never got a rest from the brutality of her owner from the time he bought her to
the time she ran away. The time between was misery and she was forced to suffer
through it. She had no choice but to endure his torture, but when she was free,
she definitely believed it was worth it. The life she had with Dr. Flint was
without a doubt tougher than many other slaves’ lives. This was because she was
not only a mulatto, but a woman as well. Dr. Flint made her life a nightmare
because of these two qualities, but due to her determination, she eventually
gained her freedom.
Bibliography
Jacobs, Harriet Ann. Incidents
in the Life of a Slave Girl. Boston: Maria
L. Child, 1861. Print.
