Caroline James
11/29/11
F. Oehlschlaeger
American Narrative
Portrayal of 19th Century African Americans by a White and an African American Author
The years leading up to the Civil War in American history were a tumultuous time. The
seeds of freedom for historically disenfranchised peoples were being sown more powerfully than
at any time before. Women and African Americans were two groups of people who were rising
up and beginning to scrabble for their right to speak their mind and find equality amidst a culture
completely dominated by white men. Rebecca Harding Davis was a white women who used her
tremendous skill with words to break down publishing barriers and become one of the most
prolific and popular authors of the 19th century. Harriet Jacobs was an African American woman,
an escaped slave, who used her skill with words to shed light on the lives of African American
slaves. Both of these women were novelties and great treasures of their time period, whether they
were celebrated then or not. And both women were well aware of the political climate in which
they lived. Davis wrote fiction while Jacobs wrote her nonfiction autobiography. Jacobs and
Davis both grew up in slaveholding states and were well acquainted with numerous African
Americans and the practice of slavery. Their views on African Americans are illustrated in their
writing through their portrayals of their African American characters. While there is no doubt
that these women viewed the world from two perspectives and lived very different lives, very
much so because of an accident of birth, their illustrations of African Americans are indicative of
the larger American population of their respective race. Davis portrays her African American
characters as less educated than their white counterparts, but often loyal or sympathetic to the
reader through some similar trait. Jacobs, whose story obviously focuses on an abundance of
African American characters, has the opportunity to layer her story’s players more and give them
even more humanity than Davis. Her characters are sympathetic to the reader, as well, for their
humanity. The point I hope to emphasize is the similar sympathy and subtle and overt measures
both authors take to illustrate the African American’s drive for, and right to, complete and equal
freedom.
In Rebecca Harding Davis’s short story, David Gaunt, the only African American
character is an elderly man named Bone. Bone is the family’s slave and it is implied in the
narrative that his family and the main character’s family have been together for at least three
generations. Davis writes that “[Scofield] and Bone had been born in it, their grandfathers had
lived there together,” (Davis, 26). In a description of the two men’s relationship Davis writes that
“Bone was his slave; of course, they thought, how should it be otherwise?” (Davis, 26). This is
an interesting statement, and it sheds some light on the way that the Scofield family in particular,
and Southerners in general, viewed the practice and continuation of slavery. Davis even implies
that Bone thinks of himself, has even “boast[ed]” before of “being ‘ole Mars’ Joe’s man,’”
(Davis 83). That statement is very illuminating because it is an example of Bone deriving his
identity from his station in life as another man’s slave. This is perfectly understandable since it
has been the only life that Bone has known, but it’s also important because, by the end of the
story, Bone is described as “thinking profoundly” about the idea of “’longin’ ter hisself,” (Davis,
83).
Bone is an interesting African American character for Davis to tackle. Throughout the
story he is portrayed as loyal to the Scofield’s, and very much a member of the family. Scofield’s
daughter, Dode, refers to Bone as “Uncle Bone” (Davis, 72). But there is a slight disconnect with
this familial relationship because Bone refers to Joe Scofield as Master and Dode Scofield as
Mistress. Joe Scofield doesn’t give as much credence to the opinions Bone offers as Scofield
does to white men.
Through the character of Bone, Davis illustrates a very subtle and important relationship
between enslaved black men and the free white population. Bone is loyal to the family he’s
enslaved to, he genuinely cares about their well-being, and they genuinely care about his wellbeing. Davis gives Bone a lot of characterization throughout the story and it allows the reader to
empathize with him, as a man and not as a slave. His station in the Scofield’s life is made clear to
the reader, but since Davis allows Bone to be a prominent character in the narrative, the reader
can get to know and identify Bone as a person rather than just a slave. Allowing Bone to be
represented as an important character in the story is indicative of how public feelings toward
African Americans were changing during the mid-19th century.
Harriet Jacobs, as a black woman and former slave, had her own unique view of African
Americans. Her autobiography, even more so than Davis’s fiction, really allowed humanization
of the enslaved people of America and truly forced the American public to turn their eyes to
something they were reluctant to face in its entirety. Through the simple telling of her life story,
Jacobs illuminated the African Americans in her life who needed to be viewed by the public as
people, not as slaves.
Jacobs’ grandmother was a black woman who gained her freedom through the help of her
mistress’s sister. This woman, “Aunt Marthy” as she is called throughout the narrative is
described by Jacobs as a woman who “was generally known, and everybody who knew her
respected her intelligence and good character,” (Jacobs, 139). Throughout the autobiography,
Aunt Marthy goes through many trials and tribulations, such as seeing her children enslaved
while she is free, raising her grandchildren to the best of her ability and eventually raising her
great-grandchildren. Aunt Marthy’s renown and respect within her community, however, is
always evident. At one point her home is being searched by drunk white men and Harriet, who is
at her grandmother’s house, sees a white man who is friendly with her grandmother and “called
to him, and asked him to have the goodness to come in and stay till the search was over. He
readily complied,” (Jacobs, 204). The fact that a white man was willing to help defend a black
family against a search by white men is very telling of the community standing that Aunt Marthy
had. Jacobs telling her story and including her Aunt Marthy and the important person that she
was, despite how her race was viewed in the mid-19th century, showed the American public what
an African American was capable of, despite the political climate. A strong African American
woman in the South was not a prominent character in much of the literature of the time period,
and Jacobs’ illustration of her grandmother was an important breakthrough in the published
works of the time.
Harriet Jacobs’ personal story and the personal struggles she went through and overcame
also add to the list of strong African American characters in American literature. She had a
master who “was, to my knowledge, the father of eleven slaves,” (Jacobs, 167) and who wanted
to have sex with Jacobs, as well. Jacobs managed to escape, but then spent seven years in her
grandmother’s attic, biding her time until she could effectively escape to the North. It is during
this time of confinement that Jacobs makes herself so relatable by discussing the hardships of
being near her children yet never being able to talk to them or let them know where she is hiding.
Through about a third of Jacobs’ tale she describes the difficulty of being a mother who is
physically present yet emotionally separated from her children. This situation makes her
extraordinarily sympathetic as a character, and many white mothers who were reading it could
find a lot to empathize with in her story.
Rebecca Harding Davis and Harriet Jacobs were important female authors of the 19th
century. Their writing reflected the changing views of African Americans and of slavery. But
more than just reflecting, both of these women’s work put forth their own arguments for the
recognition of African Americans as people who were similar and equal to white Americans.
This opinion being advanced and being embraced by the American reading public played a
crucial role in changing the overall opinions of Americans towards slavery as the Civil War
approached.