Harriet Jacobs: Resisting Dehumanization in Slave Narratives

Introduction: Slavery and Dehumanization

In Harriet Jacobs' autobiographical narrative Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, the narrator takes several steps to assert her status as a person and to make a case against the dehumanization inherent in slavery. The dehumanization of Jacobs and other enslaved people in the novel is clearly shown through the sexual exploitation they face and the separation of women from their children. Jacobs continually fights against this degradation and asserts herself as a person. She refuses the advances of Mr. Flint, chooses another man with whom to have a relationship, and ultimately goes to the extreme of hiding in a cramped garret to assert her independence. Ultimately, Jacobs is successful in obtaining her freedom, but she achieves it only through extraordinary perseverance and force of will.

Sexual Exploitation and the Separation of Mothers from Children

Jacobs' account is a vivid description of the degradation that enslaved women face through sexual exploitation and the separation of mothers from their children. While Harriet's early childhood was relatively sheltered, the remainder of her life would be marked by sexual exploitation and painful separation from her children. There are numerous instances throughout the narrative where enslaved mothers are cruelly parted from their children. Jacobs describes how dehumanizing the experience is when some of her relatives are sold: "And now came the trying hour for that drove of human beings, driven away like cattle, to be sold they knew not where. Husbands were torn from wives, parents from children, never to look upon each other again this side the grave. There was wringing of hands and cries of despair."

Refusing the Master: Asserting Personhood Through Resistance

Harriet Jacobs, speaking through the narrator Linda Brent, asserts her status as a person by refusing the advances of her master. She was first pursued by her master, Mr. Flint, when she was merely fifteen years of age. She continually refused his advances and avoided contact with him at all costs. In the simple act of refusing the sexual advances of her master, Jacobs was clearly asserting her worth as a human being. As a slave, it was common practice for enslaved women to be drawn into sexual relationships with their masters. Harriet herself was born out of her mother's relationship with her white enslaver. The fact that Jacobs refused to accept this as her fate marks her resistance as a conscious and courageous act of self-determination.

Conclusion: The Triumph of Human Will

Harriet Jacobs goes to almost superhuman lengths to assert her status as a person and rebel against the dehumanization of slavery. In rejecting the advances of her master, Mr. Flint, she asserts her right to choose her own sexual partners and defies the presumption that a master has rights over the bodies of enslaved people. Her resolve is extraordinary: she spends years avoiding Flint's advances, suffers physical hardship from her confinement in the garret, and endures the emotional pain of watching her children grow up without her. Eventually, Jacobs' resolve is rewarded, as she is freed from slavery — a testament to the extraordinary power of human dignity and the will to resist.