Out of the Silence

The slave narrative genre is an important part of American history. These stories are not only portraits of individual history, but also of American history. By reading the stories of the past we can better determine the path of the future. The personal stories of Frederick Douglass and Harriet Jacobs are two excellent examples of the slave narrative genre in American literature. To be sure, bondage and oppression had a lasting and profound effect on both genders; however, men and women experienced slavery in different ways. By comparing and contrasting “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave” and “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl,” we gain very different insights into the truth about slavery from the vantage point of gender.

The similarities between “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave” and “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl,” are that they are both about slavery. In both narratives, the perspective writers call attention to the dubious character and cruel deeds of their perspective masters. That being said, the contrasts in their literary works far outweigh the similarities.

Society was very strict in its views on what was appropriate for men in contrast to what was socially acceptable for women of that time. Those social restrictions and expectations created a kind of social doctrine that ruled both genders. Generally speaking, men suffered fewer social restrictions than women and furthermore, men were at liberty to speak their minds in depth whilst women communicated their needs in vague, passive terms. As a result of this, some literature can be identified as gender specific writing.

When we examine the “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an Americ...

... middle of paper ...

...ts in the Life of a Slave Girl,” we learn that gender plays a part in the style, level of detail, and writing strategy of the individual narrative. It would be untruthful to say that the life of bondage was easier for a man than for a woman; however, the fact that women faced added oppression in slavery cannot be ignored. In the end, it is only by examining the narratives of men and women equally and side by side that we see the truth in its entirety.

Work Cited

Douglass, Frederick. “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave.” The Heath Anthology of American Literature. Ed Paul Lauter et al. Concise ed. Boston: Wadsworth, Cengage. 2004. 867-929. Print.

Jacobs, Harriet Ann. “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl.” The Heath Anthology of American Literature. Ed Paul Lauter et al. Concise ed. Boston: Wadsworth, Cengage. 2004. 841-860. Print.