“You have seen a man made a slave; you shall see how a slave was made a man.” (Douglass, Jacobs, 2004) The experiences of Frederick Douglass, one of the former slaves who escaped the horrors of slavery, became one of the most widely read slave narratives and the most influential African- American text of the antebellum era. Authors like Douglass wanted not only to expose the inhumanity of the slave system, but they also gave incontestable evidence to the humanity of the African American. The question that arises is, how representative Douglass ́s narrative is – does he speak of “man” as a representative for people in general, or is he specifically speaking for the male slave?
For the last years scholars have begun to pay more attention to issues of gender in their study of slavery and claim that female slaves faced additional burdens and even more challenges than some of the male slaves.
Based on the first female slave narrative, Harriet Jacobs ́s Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, this paper will investigate how gender influences the way in which bondage can be experienced differently: what specific forms of oppression do women face in slavery, or what forms of oppression do they encounter to a larger extent than men? Claiming that this gender specific oppression results in gender specific forms of resistance, I will furthermore focus on the ways of how female slaves made a stand against this oppression. Again, Jacobs ́s narrative will be the basis for this investigation.
Incidents is the first-person account of Jacobs ́s pseudonymous narrator “Linda Brent” and presents an accurate, although selective, story of her life. This paper will not discuss the relationship between Jacobs and her narrator Brent, but will consider Brent ́s account as autobiographical for Jacobs. For over a century, the authenticity of Jacobs ́s experiences was questioned until Jean Fagan Yellin ́ s ground breaking work proved her authorship.
The basis for the following investigation will be a brief introduction of the various ways of approaching Incidents.
The second part of the paper will then consider two gender specific forms of oppression: patriarchal sexual oppression, and the deprival of identity by neglecting female slaves to live out the “virtues of womanhood”. With Incidents, Jacobs breaks taboos in order to present Brent ́s sexual history in slavery and to emphasize the power of self-determination, motherhood and family relationships as powerful weapons of resistance.
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION
PART I
I.1 Ways of reading Incidents
PART II
II.1 Patriarchal sexual oppression
II.2 Resistance through self-determination in sexuality
II.3 Limitations of resistance against patriarchal sexual oppression
II.4 Oppression through the deprival of female identity by neglecting slave women to live out the “virtues of womanhood”
II.5 Resistance by redefinition of self-determination through motherhood
II.6 Oppression through the destruction of relationships
II.7 Resistance by building strong relationships and communities
II.8 Resistance by calling for political action
II.9 Limitations of resistance against the deprival of identity and the destruction of relationships
PART III: JACOBS´S OPPRESSION AND RESISTANCE AS AN AUTHOR
III.1 Editorial oppression and Jacobs´s resistance
III.2 Literary oppression and Jacobs´s resistance
PART IV: LIMITATIONS OF RESISTANCE - HOW SUCCESSFUL IS JACOBS´S RESISTANCE?
CONCLUSION
Objectives and Research Themes
This paper investigates the gender-specific forms of oppression and resistance depicted in Harriet Jacobs's "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl," aiming to demonstrate how gender influences the experience of bondage and the subsequent struggle for freedom. It seeks to answer how Jacobs, as both a former slave and an author, navigates systemic constraints to assert her identity and voice.
- Analysis of patriarchal sexual oppression and the denial of female identity.
- Examination of motherhood and community building as mechanisms of resistance.
- Evaluation of editorial and literary pressures placed upon the author.
- Assessment of the definition of freedom in the context of the female slave narrative.
- Critique of gender-specific resistance strategies and their inherent limitations.
Excerpt from the Book
II.1 Patriarchal sexual oppression
For enslaved black women, sexual violence is part of the day-to-day function of being in slavery, since the sexual exploitation of their bodies is almost as much a part of the institution as the exploitation of their labour in the fields. Often puberty marks the beginning of a lifetime of sexual and emotional abuse. Many female slaves work in the planter´s home which includes close interaction with the owners. Male slaveholders see access to black women´s bodies as one of the privileges of mastery and the narratives of female slaves provide ample evidence of this tendency. Incidents details Jacobs´s constant struggles to evade the sexual advances of her owner. To prove this claim, two scenes will be analysed: firstly, Jacobs´ s master Dr. Flint finding out that she is capable of reading and writing and, secondly, Jacobs´s consequent decision to enter into a sexual relationship with Mr. Sands.
Summary of Chapters
INTRODUCTION: Establishes the focus on gender-specific differences in the experience of slavery and introduces Jacobs's narrative as the primary source for investigation.
PART I: Explores existing critical approaches to reading "Incidents," emphasizing the shift toward viewing small acts of resistance and domestic spaces as significant.
PART II: Examines specific forms of gendered oppression, such as sexual violence and the denial of "virtues of womanhood," alongside forms of resistance like motherhood and community ties.
PART III: JACOBS´S OPPRESSION AND RESISTANCE AS AN AUTHOR: Investigates the challenges Jacobs faced with editors and genre constraints while attempting to publish her narrative.
PART IV: LIMITATIONS OF RESISTANCE - HOW SUCCESSFUL IS JACOBS´S RESISTANCE?: Critically evaluates the success of Jacobs's resistance, ultimately arguing for a gender-specific definition of freedom based on self-sacrifice and care.
CONCLUSION: Synthesizes the analysis, reiterating that while Jacobs's resistance was successful in fostering self-determination, it remained constrained by her past and the limitations of her audience.
Keywords
Harriet Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Slavery, Gender, Resistance, Motherhood, Patriarchy, Sexual Oppression, Slave Narrative, Authorship, Female Identity, Freedom, Abolitionism, Domesticity, Self-Determination.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the central focus of this research?
The paper focuses on the gender-specific experiences of female slaves, analyzing how they encountered unique forms of oppression and how they developed specific strategies of resistance within the slave system and as authors.
What are the primary themes discussed?
Key themes include patriarchal sexual violence, the subversion of the "cult of true womanhood," the use of motherhood as a weapon of resistance, the importance of community, and the challenges of female authorship in the nineteenth century.
What is the primary research goal?
The goal is to determine how gender shapes the experience of slavery and to demonstrate how Jacobs used her narrative to challenge male-dominated definitions of freedom and independence.
Which methodology does the author employ?
The paper utilizes a literary and historical analysis of "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl," incorporating critical scholarship to evaluate Jacobs's rhetorical strategies and her subversion of popular literary genres.
What does the main body of the work cover?
It covers the specific sexual and identity-based oppressions faced by female slaves, the strategic use of motherhood and relationships, and the external pressures Jacobs faced from editors and genre conventions.
Which keywords define this work?
The work is characterized by terms such as slavery, gender, resistance, motherhood, patriarchal oppression, and female authorship.
How does Jacobs use motherhood as a tool for resistance?
Jacobs redefines motherhood as an act of defiance, using it to assert her own identity and humanity, and as a rhetorical tool to form a bond of compassion with her white female readership.
How successful was Jacobs in her resistance?
The paper concludes that Jacobs's resistance was partially successful; she gained a degree of personal autonomy and forged a new definition of freedom, but remained limited by her past as a slave and the necessity of white patronage.
How does the author interpret Jacobs's interaction with her editors?
The paper frames Jacobs's navigation of editorial interference, particularly with Harriet Beecher Stowe and Lydia Maria Child, as a struggle for authorial agency and the maintenance of her own narrative independence.
- Quote paper
- Janina Gaiser (Author), 2015, Gender specific forms of oppression and resistance in Harriet Jacobs´s "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/415670
