Incident of the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs and Beloved by Toni Morrison - Assignment Example

29 April 2007 Compare and Contrast The fictional works, "Incident of the Life of a Slave Girl" by Harriet Jacobs and "Beloved" by Toni Morrison, discuss problems of slavery and impact of oppression on life and destiny of black women. In both works, a special attention is given to family relations and importance of a mother-child bond, moral values and traditions of black women. Thesis Harriet Jacobs and Toni Morrison describe experience of the slave women with their children and underline importance of love and care for both mothers. The works depict that children play a significant role in life of both women who try to protect their 'beloved' from oppression and hardship. Jacobs depicts that Linda has no chance to see her children working on the plantation: "I had been three weeks on the plantation, when I planned a visit home" (Jacobs 2003). This episode unveils casualties of life faced by black women during 19th century. Through the main character, Sethe, Morrison portrays that a mother takes great pains to prove her love to the children regardless of the price. In spite of all her efforts, she lost one of her children: "No more powerful than the way I loved her," Sethe answered and there it was again" (Morrison 4). Both works depict that black women are not promiscuous or lascivious, but loving and sympathetic mothers being a part of the environment against which they rebel. Both mothers use love as their emotional guide which help them to survive and fight with male tyranny. In both works, love symbolizes psychological state of the women who become more passionate and sympathetic trying to protect their children. The problems, unveiled in the autobiography, are received much publicity, because for some people these problems are too intimate or dedicated, they touch personal feelings and human soul. Linda Brent is suppressed by the norms and circumstances, her own narrow worldview and personal low spirits which make her dependant upon life situations. "I laid Benny back in his bed, and dried his tears by a promise to come again soon. Rapidly we retraced our steps back to the plantation" (Jacobs 2003). Similar to Sethe, Linda is described as a patient, loving and wise mother, but on the other hand she is strong and powerful woman able to protect her children from Dr Flint's attacks. It is a sign of realism that she transfers her love to children. Toni Morrison portrays that death of the child becomes the main tragedy faced by Sethe. She asks: "Counting on the stillness of her own soul, she had forgotten the other one: the soul of her baby girl. Who would have thought that a little old baby could harbor so much rage" (Morrison 5). Both characters have a practical toughness that makes them more convincing than a sentimental portrait of a female. They know how to defend themselves but cannot protect their children from deaths and inequalities. The main difference between the works is that Sethe lost one of her children while Linda should have great pains to protect her children from violence and cruelty. Being a mother, Linda visits her children in town to ensure that everything is fine, and they do not need her help. She writes: "I was six miles from town, and the road was very dreary. I laid Benny back in his bed, and dried his tears by a promise to come again soon" (Jacobs, 2003). These events help Jacobs to create a special tone and unmask contradiction arisen in the society. By means of the mother's voice, Jacobs emphasizes the irrational side of slavery and the desperation of humanity, and great love of Linda to her children. . "I feared the sight of my children would be too much for my full heart . I bent over the bed where lay my little Benny and baby Ellen. Poor little ones! fatherless and motherless!" (Jacobs. 2003). Morrison depicts that children are the only precious things Sethe has. "She thought it would be enough, rutting among the headstones with the engraver, his young son looking on, the anger in his face so old; the appetite in it quite new" (Morrison 5). In general, the character of Sethe embodies an attitude of a slave-mother towards life and her children, her ability to rule it and the ability to accept the consequences of her actions. In both works, the mother's voice is important because only mothers can be so tender and loving to their little children as Linda does. Love and great care about children creates an atmosphere of safety and calmness. In this case, it is important to take into account the epoch and economic system of slavery which deprived black women their rights and freedom. It is important to note that Linda is a devoted mother who does the best for her children regardless of the price. This episode shows that love and great care about children are typical things for every mother, and in spite of punishment, Linda sends her child to a secure place without permission of the master. Morrison depicts that this period of time is the most difficult for Sethe unveiling suffering of a slave-mother. The mother's desire to gain trust of her children is used as a symbol to describe deep personal feelings and life experience of all humans. Morrison writes: "Not only did she have to live out her years in a house palsied by the baby's fury at having its throat cut, but those ten minutes she spent pressed up against dawn-colored stone studded with star chips" (Morrison 5). The significance of Sethe character is that Morrison describes moments, their sequels in life, and the doctrines to which social events give rise. Sethe embodies courage and grief, pain and love of the mother who does the best to save her children and gain their trust. "Not a house in the country ain't packed to its rafters with some dead Negro's grief. We lucky this ghost is a baby" (Morrison 5). A main idea of this passage is love that runs across as the mark of respect and pain of the mother. The main similarity between the passages is that the authors unveil important themes of family relations and parental love of Linda and Sethe towards their children. Morrison and Jacobs vividly describe their personal experience and complicated relations caused by slavery and racial inequalities. In some cases, the women are anguish and frustrated by violence and injustice of slave-owners, but all of them admit that mother-children relations has the main influence on their life, on relations with other people and on their views. Sethe recollects: "My firstborn. All I can remember of her is how she loved the burned bottom of bread" (Morrison 5). A strong bond between mothers and children reflects personal feelings of women, their personal identity and ignorance of the world. The fictional work by Morrison and the non-fiction autobiographical work by Jacobs portray that emotional burden and slavery cause great sufferings to the women and their children. In spite life circumstances and oppression, the women devote their life to children trying to protect them from cruelty of the world. These works depict ideological and social dilemmas of the society where women were deprived their social place. Morrison vividly portrays that traditions and false social values place certain restrictions on women and their life. As the most important, these limitations lead to the devastating consequences: death and separation of mothers and children. Women are accustomed to a specific role, and have a difficult time coping when a more extensive array of choices is presented to them. The female writers do ever thing possible to familiarize public with social problems faced by women, to inspire women to struggle against slavery, and support their children who were at a loss. Works Cited 1. Jacobs, H. Incident of the Life of a Slave Girl. 2003. 29 April 2007. (XVI. Scenes At The Plantation). Read More