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LITR 4332 American Minority Literature Model Assignments Research Project Submissions 2013 research post 2 |
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Katasha DeRouen
Imagine: Beyond a Slave
In my first research post focusing on Harriet Jacobs, I
attempted to link time, how her then
struggles effect the now of society.
In doing so, I was drawn to the relationships Jacobs formed with many of the
people she came into contact with. Many of these relationships were atypical,
based on the very opposing social statuses of the participants, namely Jacobs
and Cornelia Willis. In my first post I uncovered many true identities of those
depicted under pseudo names in Jacobs’ book,
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl.
This secrecy struck a chord within me; I began to wonder how Jacobs felt about
openly recanting personal moments, under protected pretenses. Was she protecting
the others, as much as herself?
With this new curiosity, in this, my second post, I wish to
venture into Jacobs’ intimate feelings and reflect on her reason and reaction to
various aspects of her personal life. Thus, there is no more supportive
authority than author Jean Fagan Yellin. Yellin, responsible for the
Harriet Jacobs Papers, has recorded
and documented Jacobs’ life as it surrounded her self-published story in her
book, Harriet Jacobs: A Life.
Conducting extensive research, Yellin was able to form a relationship with
Jacobs, allowing her to uncover intimate moments and occurrences throughout her
journey to freedom, and the fight to remain free.
Although my
initial question “what do we do
now?” still lingers, I have altered
it to “can you imagine?” In reading this post, revert to the question and
attempt to invoke meaningful emotions as Jacobs’ incidents are presented.
Insight is given concerning the treatment Jacobs experienced in England, as opposed to America. When Jacobs accompanied Mr. Willis on a stint to England, as the nurse for a young Imogen Willis, she was excited by the positive manner in which the people of England met her with. They displayed no racial prejudices, a stark contrast to the life she was accustomed to in the states. Thus, when the trip was ended, she found herself resistant to the thought of reverting to the negative natures that awaited her. However, her children were home, and she longed to be with them. She struggled with the thought of self-comfort versus the comfort of her children.
Can you imagine proceeding with
optimistic literary endeavors, after writing has presented such negative
connotations in your life?
A further reading of Yellin’s book,
Harriet Jacobs: A Life, reveals that
letter writing could serve as a cleansing or a threat to Jacobs’ security. It is
noted that although Jacobs had long escaped the enslavement of the Norcom reign,
she was still threatened through letters from the family. Mary Matilda, Jacobs’
youngest mistress, entered into a dysfunctional marriage. The new son-in law did
not get along with the family, causing them to oust her from the family
inheritance. Struggling, and seeing Jacobs as valuable property, Mary Matilda
wrote threatening letters to her urging her to purchase herself free or else;
hence Jacobs feared being captured and returned.
Writing for Jacobs
also served as a reviving process for Jacobs. Her encounter with Harriet Beecher
Stowe concerning the writing of her story is outlined in
Harriet Jacobs: a Life. Jacobs, with
coercion from Cornelia Willis and Amy Post, decided to reach out to Stowe for
help in developing her story. She also thought it would be a grand idea for
Louisa to serve as an intern on the project, in order to travel and explore
under Stowe’s accompaniment. Discouraged by their status as fugitive slaves,
Stowe rejected the opportunity. This prompted Jacobs to begin anonymously
writing letters for the local circulation.
Can you imagine being incapable
of embracing your gender, or claiming to be a widow for intimate closure?
Romantically,
Jacobs has left no record of romance after her forced sexual experiences in
adolescence. At 30, she sewed dolls for the Willis children. One of the dolls
was black, while the two others were brown. The two brown dolls were moderately
dressed and had distinguishing features, as well as identifiable limbs (legs and
arms). The black, faceless doll had no legs and was stitched closed from the
waist down. Was this doll a depiction of her? As Jacobs was always portrayed as
strong and determined, did this doll offer an intimate replication of how she
viewed herself? Psychoanalytically, Jacobs may have developed a deep rejection
to feminine sexuality as a result of her tortuous relationship with Norcom.
Yellin in Harriet
Jacobs: A Life further describes an instance where Jacobs participated in a
questionnaire for the city directory. Annually, the city directory
representative reports Jacobs as each year identifying herself as the widow of a
different man. She referenced herself as widow of Samuel (her children’s
father), Elijah (her own father), and George. As the initial two names are
spoken for, the last is rather questionable. Yellin questions if the latter name
is merely a figment of Jacobs’ cunning mind, drawn up to thwart the curiosity of
those divulging too much into her personal life, or is George actually a lover
she was involved with at the age of sixteen, threatened by the lustful Norcom?
In research post one, I set out to connect Jacobs’ then to my now, posing the question, “what do we do now?” Before reading Jacobs’ Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl this semester, I was always aware there were those brave black souls who dedicated their lives to altering the road to African American freedom. However, in continuing to research Jacobs’ life I have realized that individuals like Jacobs relied heavily on help, and not always from those of the same race. In changing the African American path, Jacobs, and those who supported her, have changed the American path to freedom, the freedom to befriend, love, and coexist as one. Uncovering and answering many personal questions, I opted to continue my second post on Jacobs, thus lending the “can you imagine” concept to the audience. Envisioning myself in Jacobs’ position, the difficult decisions and calculated reactions attributed to her seem unbearable. After researching Harriet Jacobs for a substantial amount of time I have heightened my personal interest in her life, and will continue to study the incidents of her life.
Jacobs, Harriet. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. Sioux Falls ND: Nuvision Publications LLC, 1861. Print
Yellin, Jean Fagan. Harriet Jacobs: A Life. NY: Basic Civitas Books, 2004. Print.
