Essence vs. Existence in Slave Autobiographies

    Are people born destined to have a certain character, or are they simply blank canvases waiting to be painted by the many experiences within their lives? This is the age-old question of essence versus existence, first discussed by Ancient Greek philosophers thousands of years ago. Today, I’ll be looking at two autobiographies written by slaves; Harriet Jacobs' Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, and Booker T. Washington's Up from Slavery. Both texts narrate the experiences leading up to and after the Emancipation Proclamation, and the various struggles the main characters had to face in order to make a decent living for themselves. However, other than their similar end goals, the two main characters in these stories have vividly contrasting world views. Back to the question of existence and essence, how could two people in similar positions of oppression be so differently oriented? Let’s take a more in-depth look at the two works.

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl is an autobiography that follows the life of a black woman named Linda Brent and her journey from enslavement in the South to a free life in the North. As a child Linda was very shielded from her grim reality by her relatives. However as she aged, she was quickly exposed to many hardships which were preventing her from living the life she wanted. Throughout the story, Jacobs makes it clear that Linda would much rather endure years of suffering rather than having her freedom taken from her. To her, “Death is better than slavery.” (pg. 96). For example, in order to escape from the grasp of her former master, Dr. Flint, she hid in a damp, cold, cramped room which she described as being like a casket for seven arduous years. Towards the end of the story, Linda's freedom is eventually purchased by a white woman who I would describe as one of her benefactors. Regardless, she still sees this good-natured action as an inherent violation of her freedom, which goes to show just how much Dr. Flint’s influence had shaped her beliefs. She was so skeptical that she could no longer  permit anyone to display their superiority to her, even when they don’t have any malicious intent.

Next, let’s discuss Booker T. Washington’s autobiography, Up from Slavery. As the name suggests, the text is a recount of Washington’s rise from a slave to a renowned author and public figure. Like Linda, Washington was born into slavery. However, compared to Linda, Washington’s enslavement contained much less harassment or bad treatment, as Washington was even allowed to go to school during his free time. After the Emancipation Proclamation, Washington sets out to pursue his education and eventually build his career. As opposed to Brent, Washington doesn't seem to care as much about his individuality or dignity, but rather chooses to focus his attention on his own economic gain. He consistently sells the point that the only way to make a good life as a black person in those times was to put in the effort and work with your head down. Instead of displaying his enslavement and sudden thrusting into the free world as a horrible thing like most accounts at the time do, he instead goes the opposite way and recounts that the world is full of opportunity for those who are willing to go after it. For example, he even goes as far to say that “...notwithstanding the cruel wrongs inflicted upon us, the black man got nearly as much out of slavery as the white man did.” (p.g. 17), claiming slavery gave black people the necessary work ethics and skills needed in order to succeed, and it took away those same abilities from the whites, who were now supposedly dependent on forced labor.

    Clearly, Washington and Jacobs had wildly different experiences and opinions on slavery. So what made these characters' world view so different? The most obvious contributing factor would be the way that they were treated during slavery. Even though Linda was shielded as a child, and was surrounded by caring relatives, the treatment she was exposed to as a young girl and the constant threat of her purity being violated took a heavy toll on her future character. It made her vow that she would do anything to resist, to prevent Dr. Stone or any other person from taking advantage of her. On the other hand, Washington's time in enslavement seems much easier comparatively. He was allowed to go to school, pursue education, and his biggest complaint about being a slave was that he had to wear itchy clothes. Returning to the question of essence versus existence; in the case of these two autobiographies, the experiences seem to be the key factor in determining the behaviors of these two wildly different people. Their existence trumps any of their pre-determined character. And while the two texts narrate completely different storylines, both provide us with important insights and perspectives on such a different time in American history.