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Throughout the years explained in history, freedom has been a constant struggle. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs and Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe explored and explained their struggles with freedom in many different circumstances. From religious to physical to political, each author has a different definition of freedom and how and when it applies in their lives.
Jacobs
In Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs, the protagonist had a constant struggle with the concept of ‘freedom’. Throughout Jacobs’ life, she defines freedom as not being owned rather than forced work and labor. For the duration of her life she is traded between different owners and experienced different situations and circumstances that shaped her perspective on slavery and freedom.
Jacobs belonged to a man named Dr Flint for a majority of her life, and although she wasn’t treated awfully, there was a lot of sexual assault and manipulation in their relationship. “Slavery is terrible for men; but it is far more terrible for women. Superadded to the burden common to all, they have wrongs, and sufferings, and mortifications peculiarly their own.” (14.6) After years of abuse, Jacobs finally ran away and sought shelter with her grandmother, who is named Aunt Martha in the novel. Occasionally she went to Boston when she felt that her limited freedom was threatened even more than normally, usually by Dr. Flint. Even though after running away she was technically “free” because of the lack of labor, she wasn’t truly free because she was still considered property to most people at this time.
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Jacobs constant game of hide-and-seek with Dr. Flint ended with his death and she was very relieved. Only until his daughter and son in-law tried to get her back because they believed they could get some money and use out of her. After being bought by someone she actually trusted, she felt the most free that she ever had in her life but again, to Jacobs, she will never be truly free until the only person that owns her is herself.
Defoe
Jacobs was mainly focused on the idea of actual bodily freedom and the idea of not being owned. Defoe, however, believed that religious freedom and political freedom was a right that every member of society should have. In the beginning of the novel, Robinson Crusoe wants so badly to be independent and free. When he goes to sea, he escapes the ordinary life destined for him back in England. He gained freedom from his family. His father wanted him to become a lawyer because he was the youngest of three sons so, in this time, he was going to inherit very little if anything from his father. With this defiance of his father’s plan for him, that acted as a defiance against God himself.
In the rest of the novel, Crusoe repeatedly struggles for freedom. From his struggles with the bad conditions of the sea during his journey for freedom to pirates who capture him and keep him as a slave. From fear, hunger, and starvation to the imprisonment of the island that he was trapped on. Others seek freedom as well, including mutineers, their captives, and the captives of cannibals. Ironically, Crusoe tolerates and benefits from people who know no freedom, slaves.
Crusoe has a very personal relationship with slavery. While on his journey, he found himself imprisoned and forced to be a slave for pirates. One would think that this would impact him in a way that would make him appreciate freedom more and be more of an advocate against slavery. But later he finds himself as a slave owner despite his past.
Crusoe’s view of ownership came from his history with slavery and impacted his relations with people like Friday. Crusoe took Friday under his wing and taught him how to speak english, converted him to Christianity, and showed him how not to be a cannibal. Friday also referred to Crusoe as “master” and Crusoe compared their relationship of that of “a Child to a Father” (176) This created a very interesting power dynamic between the two.
