"Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl" is the story of a girl born into slavery who's will and determination never waiver as she fights for her freedom and the freedom of her children. Harriet Jacobs" story brings to life the reality of slavery; the cruelty, the sexual relationships between master and slave, the psychological abuse, the separation of slave families, the dangers of escape, and the kindness that can be found in the middle of it all.
Harriet was fortunate to be born into a position in which she could live with her mother and father and in fact did not even know she was a slave until her mother died. At that time she was sent to live with her mother's mistress. This was also a fortunate position as her mistress was kind and compassionate and vowed to care for her in thanks for the many loyal years of service her mother had provided. However, her luck would not last as her mistress died and left Harriet to her niece, a five year old girl. This is when Dr. Norcom, the father of her mistress, entered her life and changed it forever. .
At only 15 years old Dr. Norcom began pursuing and harassing Harriet sexually but her hatred for him and the moral upbringing provided by her grandmother made her continually refuse and evade him. Harriett met another white man who became her lover and had two children with him. Because of the laws of that time her two children immediately became the property of Dr. Norcom as she was. Their father tried to buy her and their children but Dr. Norcom refused. Because of this, Harriett feared for her children and seriously began planning an escape. She ran away and after being hidden a few places by friends of the family she finally was hidden in the tiny crawl space above her grandmother's house. The space was barely large enough for her body and allowed only limited movement. The space had no insulation or ventilation and so provided unbearable conditions for Harriett.
