“Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl” (1861) by Harriet Jacobs is a multilayered slave narrative, it concerns many major subjects like the violent, regardless behaviour of white middle class women towards slaves in the U.S. South during the antebellum years as well as the peculiar institution and social cohesion within the family. But in this essay I will concentrate on gender and race conventions and the protagonist’s struggle of gaining true womanhood. First I will examine what true womanhood is and how it developed. Ongoing I will also analyse these conventions in relation to Linda Brent, the protagonist of Harriet Jacobs’ autobiographical narrative, and other characters having an influence on Linda. As a last point I will examine the author’s intention to stress the ideal woman.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. The Cult of True Womanhood
3. True Womanhood and Slave Narratives
4. Linda Brent and the Struggle for Freedom
5. Harriet Jacobs' Narrative Strategy
Objectives and Topics
This essay explores the intersection of gender and race conventions in Harriet Jacobs' Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, specifically examining how the protagonist, Linda Brent, negotiates the ideals of "True Womanhood" while trapped in the brutal system of slavery.
- The historical definition and cultural attributes of "True Womanhood."
- The inherent conflict between white societal standards and the realities of enslaved women.
- Linda Brent’s moral dilemma regarding purity, submissiveness, and agency.
- Harriet Jacobs’ use of literary strategies to address and challenge her white female audience.
Excerpt from the Book
The Question of True Womanhood
The cult of true womanhood was a cultural convention only for white upper-class women of the mid-nineteenth century America. It was their ultimate ambition to maintain their womanhood and live according to its attributes. Poorer white women also tried to reach these standards but often failed. Black woman, especially slaves in the South, usually had no chance to acquire it at all. But these virtues mentally applied for every woman although not every woman could achieve the standard publicly in society. It was like a very strict guideline for young girls to become a respectable woman in the social order.
There was a closed set of attributes describing true womanhood: piety, purity, domesticity and submissiveness. Piety described the women’s relation to religion. The women should have been born as Christians but not belong to any Afro-American religion. They should have believed in God and work with him to improve the world. He was the source of strength and dignity for women. Their behavior should have been innocent and gentle. An advantage of the church was that it also supported the other attributes of true womanhood better than many other movements.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Outlines the scope of the essay, focusing on gender and race conventions within the context of Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl.
2. The Cult of True Womanhood: Defines the core tenets of the 19th-century domestic ideal: piety, purity, domesticity, and submissiveness.
3. True Womanhood and Slave Narratives: Analyzes how the concept was used by slaveholders as a tool of oppression and social control.
4. Linda Brent and the Struggle for Freedom: Examines Linda Brent’s personal journey and her specific challenges in navigating the impossible expectations placed upon her.
5. Harriet Jacobs' Narrative Strategy: Discusses how Jacobs utilized established societal norms to connect with her readers and advocate for the abolition of slavery and gender inequality.
Keywords
Harriet Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, True Womanhood, Slavery, Linda Brent, Antebellum South, Gender Conventions, Race, Piety, Purity, Domesticity, Submissiveness, Human Rights, Slave Narrative, Female Liberation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this academic paper?
The paper examines the clash between the 19th-century "Cult of True Womanhood" and the lived reality of enslaved women in the U.S. South, as depicted in Harriet Jacobs' autobiography.
What are the four core attributes of "True Womanhood"?
The four attributes are piety (religious devotion), purity (sexual chastity), domesticity (focus on the home and family), and submissiveness (obedience to men).
What is the central research question addressed by the author?
The author investigates how the protagonist, Linda Brent, attempts to reconcile her own moral identity with the rigid and exclusionary gender conventions of her time.
Which scientific approach does the author take?
The paper employs literary analysis and cultural studies, contextualizing the text within historical frameworks of 19th-century American societal norms.
What does the main body of the work cover?
The main body covers the theoretical definition of the "Cult of True Womanhood," its application in slaveholding society, and a detailed character analysis of Linda Brent’s struggle for independence.
Which keywords best characterize this research?
Key terms include True Womanhood, Slavery, Gender Conventions, Harriet Jacobs, Linda Brent, and Female Agency.
Why was it impossible for black slaves to achieve "True Womanhood"?
The ideology was constructed exclusively for white upper-class women; enslaved women were defined as property, rendering them legally and socially unable to fulfill these roles, especially regarding autonomy and sexual purity.
How does Linda Brent challenge the expectation of submissiveness?
Linda Brent actively defies her master's authority, makes autonomous choices about her romantic life to secure her children's future, and eventually escapes to achieve freedom.
What is the function of Jacobs' narrative strategy regarding her audience?
Jacobs uses the language of domesticity to make her experience relatable to white women, aiming to gain their empathy and expose the hypocrisies of the slavery system.
- Quote paper
- Daniela Schulze (Author), 2009, Harriet Jacobs - Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/127722
