This paper will examine the narrative of Harriet Jacobs and discuss what motivated her to write it, who her audience was, and how she tried to appeal to that audience.
In her tale, Jacobs shows how the very first day she landed in a Free State (Philadelphia) she was asked for her tale or a ôsketchö of her life (Jacobs, 2002, p. 439). Although she was reluctant to share her experiences at first, by the writing of this book she soon understood that in sharing her tale she would be able to help other fugitive slaves, as well as possibly be able to fight slavery itself. Therefore, she was determined ôto arouse the women of the North to a realizing sense of the condition of two millions of the women of the South, still in bondage, suffering what I suffered, most of them far worseö (Jacobs, 2002, 440). In particular, Jacobs wanted to point out the condition of female slaves, and the sexual abuse suffered by most, a taboo subject in the 19th century. Her editor, L. Maria Child remarks on this in the introduction:
I am well aware that many will accuse me of indecorum for presenting these pages to the public; for the experiences of this intelligent and much-injured woman belong to a class which some call delicate subjects, and others indelicate. This peculiar phase of Slavery has generally been kept veiled; but the public ought to be made acquainted with its monstrous features, and I willingly take responsibility fore presenting them the veil withdrawn. I do this for the sake of my sisters in bondage, who are suffering wrongs so foul that our ears are too delicate to listen to them (Child in Jacobs, 2002, p. 442).
Female slaves were seen as breeders for stock, and were ôconsidered of no value unless they continually increase[d] their owners stock. They [were] on a par with animalsö (Jacobs, 2002, 495). Overseers examined married couplesÆ huts to ensure that they were sleeping together and producing more ôstock.ö In a...