Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl - Essay Example â€Å" (7). Which is why Linda led a relatively happy life up until the age of six when her mother died. It was only then that she learned that she was to be a slave in the employ of her mother's former mistress. In Brent's own words; â€Å"Such were the unusually fortunate circumstances of my early childhood. When I was six years old, my mother died; and then, for the first time, I learned, by the talk around me, that I was a slave† (7). When her mistress dies and she is passed on to other masters, her life totally changes in such a manner that is is speedily robbed of her innocence. She is given to the Flint family headed by Dr. Flint. He was described as ; â€Å"... an epicure. The cook never sent a dinner to his table without fear and trembling; for if there happened to be a dish not to his liking, he would either order her to be whipped, or compel her to eat every mouthful of it in his presence. The poor, hungry creature might not have objected to eating it; but she did not object to having her master cram it down her throat till she choked† (13). She thwarts the sexual advances of Dr. Flint by consenting to having an affair with her white neighbor. That neighbor is named Mr. Sands, he fathers her two children named Benjamin and Ellen. It is important to note that Jacobs wrote her protagonists point of view in such a way that she thought it was better to live the life of a kept woman with mulatto children than to be the product of a sexual rape. It is the opinion of the author that because women slaves lead a different life than the white women, they are offered a different standard of morality than the free women. At the end of Linda's affair with Mr. Sands, he leaves her to go south. He takes a bride,fathers a child with her,purchases his children with Linda and treats them as slaves even when he promised her that he would free then, then becomes a congressman. Throughout the ordeal of Linda's life there was one constant personality who tr ied to stand up for her family no matter the cost, her grandmother known as Aunt Martha. She lived to see her grandchildren escape from slavery even though it meant losing them as family. She was a strong willed woman who stood up for herself and put fear into Dr. Flint. In one of the more famous scenes in the book she admonishes the doctor and tells him to "Get out of my house†¦ Go home and take care of your wife and children" (15). Aunt Martha, through the grace of the universe managed to gain her freedom when it was provided to her by a kindly white woman. The situation occurred this way; Dr. Flint chose to sell Aunt Martha after the death of her mistress because he thought her old and feeble. Nobody wanted to buy her on the auction block except for an old white woman who immediately granted her freedom upon the close of her sale. One of the most touching depictions of slavery in the book has to do with the method by which the slaves celebrate New Years Day. Their eve is spe nt among their family and little possessions as they await the decision of their master as to whether or not they will be sold to another master and permanently parted from their family the next day. Those up for sale can be heard begging the masters who are looking over the slaves like produce to â€Å"Please, massa, hire me this year. I will work _very_ hard, massa." (15). It is because of the way that the slave families find themselves separated and divided that Aunt Martha tries to buy the freedom of her grandchildren from their masters,