culturedliving

As I perused the shelves of New York City’s infamous Strand’s bookstore, my eyes rested upon a book on the bottom shelf of a stand located outside the store. Something about it caught my eye. Although there was nothing in particular flashy about the cover, it was plain brown and white. I read the cover which said, “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Written by Herself.” This interested me very much because not very many literary accounts exist from that long ago, specifically those written by a slave depicting the slave experience. Not only did this fact peak my interest but I assumed that if this woman was capable of writing an entire two hundred and five page novel based on her experiences, they must be substantially significant. In her accounts, Harriet A. Jacobs, known as Linda Brent in the story, recaptures her traumatic experiences as the slave of a brutal and malicious master.
I was very much interested in reading about her experiences, yet even though it is a tragically true story, and not just the author’s but a story any slave could tell of there lives, I was slightly apprehensive of how entertaining it would be. With all books the more compelling the circumstances within the writing, the more facile it is to read. However, I must scold myself when I state that prior to reading this account I did not have a complete understandings of the brutalities of slavery. I knew that injustices existed within the system, yet now I understand that not only did severe punishment create injustices, but the entire establishment of slavery itself is an injustice. To be taken away from your family, home, and liberty, your life in every form is obliterated without cause or reason.
The story begins with a humble introduction from the author asking the reader to please forgive her for the graphic scenes she is about to portray and how they are “unchristian.” She goes on to humbly explain her motives for writing the story as follows: “I have My dear friend- Striven faithfully to give a true and just account of my own life in slavery- God knows I have tried to do it in a Christian spirit… I ask nothing- I have placed myself before you to be judged as a woman whether I deserve your pity or contempt- I have another object in view- it is to come to you just as I am a poor Slave Mother- not to tell you what I have heard but what I have seen- and what I have suffered- and if there is any sympathy to give- let it be given to the thousands- of of Slave Mothers that are still in bondage… let it plead for their helpless Children…”
Throughout the book vivid images of abuse and humiliation are portrayed through the eyes of an actual victim who was obligatorily coerced into the cruel system of slavery. It is a long struggle for freedom and a testament to how strong the human will for survival is. There is actually a period in the author’s life when she was forced to stay in a crowded room for seven years in order to evade capture.
I am happy to say that this magnificent find only cost me one single monetary dollar. For that I was able to almost first hand witness the incredibly fascinating life of an author who lived through something some of us may never fully comprehend. The depictions within the story went beyond any abbreviated and censored textbook, but took me into the life of someone who survived to tell the tale surrounding actual events which should forever embarrass our consciences and remind us of the cruelty we are capable of, and the cruelty we must, in the future, avoid at all costs.

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