3-" Promise to a Friend" Harriet Jacobs (FINAL)

"The honor of a slave holder to a slave!"

This statement could be the theme behind Harriet Jacobs' "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl." Her narrative begins and ends with promises made between a master and a slave. The broken promises kept her captive and the honored promise set her free.

On her death bed, Jacobs' mother was promised by her master, that Harriet and her siblings "should never suffer for anything." (2013) During her mistress' life, the promise was kept. However, upon the mistress' death, instead of being protected, Linda was willed to the Flint family (the first promise broken.)

The Flint family tortured, emotionally battered, and nearly "broke" the young slave's spirit. Her major oppressor in the Flint home was Dr. Flint. He introduced the innocent teenager into a life of dishonor, disgust, and over all filth. He was a calculating man who manipulated not only Jacobs, but his wife. When his Mrs. Flint became aware of the inappropriate conduct happening between her husband and her slave, she was enraged. She "spoke kindly and promised to protect" (2019) Jacobs from the evil clutches of her husband. Not surprisingly, Mrs. Flint neglected her promise and sabotaged the relationship between Jacobs and her grandmother (second promise broken.)

After an excruciatingly stay in the Flint home, Jacobs was passed to Dr. Flint's sone, who proved just as harsh and his father. To prevent her new master from harming her children, Jacobs went into hiding. She concealed herself under a shed on her grandmother's property. There she stayed for seven years. The years in hiding did not discourage Dr. Flint's efforts to find Jacobs. He once threatened Jacobs' grandmother saying, "his heirs should hold me in slavery after her was gone, that I never should be free so long as a child of his survived" (2034)

When Jacobs met Mr. and Mrs. Dodge she was still being hunted my the Flint family and their hired bounty men. Up until this point, Jacobs' life had been plagued with nothing but broken promises. After seeing how the constant running, hiding, and oppression of captivity was effecting their friend, the Dodge family vowed to buy Jacobs from the Flint's and set her free. To Jacobs' gratitude and disbelief, the Dodge's kept their promise. The one thing Jacobs' father and grandmother had worked so hard to accomplished was granted by a family who upheld a promise to a "friend. (2037)

"The honor of a slave holder to a slave" meant nothing to Harriet Jacobs, but the honor between friends meant "Freedom!" (2038)