"There are no bonds so strong as those which are formed by suffering together."(159) Through these bonds, the black community was able to provide comfort and support to one another in the face of daily horrors. The purpose for Harriet Jacobs' "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl," is not to emphasize the brutality committed against the black community, but to commemorate the unity among African American's. Although some may finish this novel with great anger regarding the degradation so of the slaves, Jacobs's true desire was to express the love, specifically within the her community, that prevailed despite the persecution. .
The severe corruption of power is at the heart of the institution of slavery, and this is a recurring theme permeating "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl." "I can testify, from my own experience and observation, that slavery is a curse to the whites as well as it is to the blacks. It makes white fathers cruel and sensual; the sons violent and licentious; it contaminates the daughters, and makes the wives wretched."(46) Even though Dr. Flint and his family appear to have it all, from wealth to high social standing, their family is far from perfect. .
Dr. Flint's obsession with possession and control ironically dominates him for the rest of his life. This dominating force in Dr. Flint's motivation towards physical control of Harriet Jacobs, inexorably leads to an extreme insecurity and jealousy within Mrs. Flint on serving to increase tension and division between the couple. These toxic fixations serve to create a perpetual vileness within their household, which is an interesting contrast to the dynamic at Jacob's grandmother's house, which is filled with love even though they are denied a variety of human comforts. Excessive power can often consume the very people in control while serving to increase the bonds of those it is inflicted upon. .
The most remarkable aspect of this novel was the overwhelming sense of strength and resilience despite all odds within Harriet Jacobs.