Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl · Chapter
Childhood explained
Linda Brent recounts her early childhood, born into slavery but shielded from its horrors until age six.
What happens
Linda Brent recounts her early childhood, born into slavery but shielded from its horrors until age six. She describes her father's skilled trade, her grandmother's resourcefulness and resilience, and the death of her mother. After her kind mistress dies, Linda learns she has been bequeathed as property to a young child, shattering her hopes of freedom.
Themes in this chapter
Motherhood and Family Separation
The chapter highlights the fragility of enslaved families: Linda's mother dies, her grandmother's children are sold, and Linda herself is bequeathed away from her kin.
Dehumanization and Identity
Linda's realization that she is 'a piece of merchandise' and the description of enslaved people as 'God-breathing machines' underscore the dehumanizing nature of slavery.
Hypocrisy of Religion and Morality
Linda's mistress taught Christian precepts of love and neighborliness yet bequeathed Linda as property, revealing the moral contradictions of slaveholding.
Characters to notice
- Linda Brent
Narrator and protagonist; recalls her happy early childhood and the dawning awareness of her enslaved status.
- William
Linda's younger brother, described as a bright, affectionate child.
- Grandmother
Maternal grandmother, a remarkable woman who worked tirelessly to purchase her children and provided Linda with many comforts.
- Benjamin
Grandmother's youngest son, sold at age ten for seven hundred and twenty dollars; more like a brother to Linda.
Key passages
“I was born a slave; but I never knew it till six years of happy childhood had passed away.”
Linda was born into slavery but remained unaware of her condition until age six.
Opening line establishing the innocence of early childhood.
“When I was six years old, my mother died; and then, for the first time, I learned, by the talk around me, that I was a slave.”
At age six, after her mother's death, Linda first understood she was enslaved.
Key moment of awakening to her reality.
“My mistress had taught me the precepts of God's Word: 'Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.' ... But I was her slave, and I suppose she did not recognize me as her neighbor.”
Linda's mistress taught Christian ethics but did not apply them to Linda as a slave.
Illustrates the hypocrisy of slaveholding Christians.