“Rise Up, Ye Women”: Patriarchy in the Narratives of Mary Rowlandson and Harriet Jacobs

Harriet Jacobs' Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl is the account of one black woman's struggle for freedom from the bonds of slavery. Written under the pseudonym Linda Brent, the story-telling is highly comparable to that of earlier captivity narratives written by white women enslaved by Native Americans. Jacobs' account is especially stylistically reflective of Mary Rowlandson's captivity tale, Sovereignty and the Goodness of God. Both are relatively short works which were published to urge readers to action. However, they offer distinctly different messages. Rowlandson's narrative vilifies Native Americans, painting them as a threat to women and the virtue of the Christian nation. It also supports the Puritanical power structure, as Rowlandson does not question her role in society: God is her ultimate master, and she is subsequently subjected to the authority of all men, according to God's will. Jacob's story challenges Puritanism, blaming it for the justification of the slavery of her people. She recognizes that the Christian religion serves as a reinforcement of patriarchy, which is responsible for slavery, and to a greater extent, the subjugation of all women, black or white.

Jacobs writes that she shares her story in order to “arouse the women of the North to a realizing sense of the condition of two millions of women at the South, still in bondage” (2-3). Jacobs' distortion of religion makes its first appearance in the narrative's epitaph, a scriptural reference from Isaiah 32.9: “Rise up, ye women that are at ease! Hear my voice, ye careless daughters! Give ear unto my speech.” Jacobs utilizes religion to connect with the white women of the North even before the narrative begins. She must prove that she, too, is a virtuous woman, but also that her people are in need of the assistance of fellow women everywhere. This epitaph also shows that, while she may not always agree with religion, she does not utterly denounce it. Jacobs is instead concerned with the hypocrisy of religion and the corruption of it for personal gain: “There is a great difference between Christianity and religion at the south. If a man goes to the communion table, and pays money into the treasury of the church, no matter if it be the price of blood, he is called religious” (64). By ignoring the Puritanical power structure, Jacobs is able to place the subjugation of women squarely on men. She only refers positively to religion when attempting to justify her own piety or to connect with her white women readers. At all other instances, she points out that scriptural doctrine has given mortal men the power to keep women in whatever place they desire.

Since women did not frequently write and publish books in the early nineteenth century, Rowlandson's narrative is prefaced by a testimonial on her behalf written by an unidentified male. This man lends credibility to the narrative by painting Rowlandson as a “pious” “Gentlewoman” who is married to a minister (66). Jacob's publication follows the same tactic. However, instead of a preface by a male author, the introductory words are written by an upper-class white woman, Lydia Maria Child. Child lends credibility to Jacobs by identifying her as “highly esteemed” by a “distinguished family,” claiming that she has had “frequent intercourse with intelligent persons” as well as “opportunities for self-improvement” (4). She testifies on Jacobs' behalf because “the public ought to be made acquainted with” the “monstrous features” of slavery (5). She, too, reiterates Jacobs' desire to incite the women of the North to action. She also calls on men to “swear solemnly before God” to prevent the enslavement of blacks (5). This, once again, calls attention to the Puritanical power hierarchy, and forces men to recognize their responsibility as representatives of God.

A stark contrast between the two narratives is the authors' treatment of other women. Rowlandson refuses to obey the Indian women while she is held captive. This can be attributed to the fact that, according to the Puritanical power structure, she is equal to other women and the head of her own servants. Indeed, the female Indians in Sovereignty and the Goodness of God are painted as more barbaric creatures than the males. When a male Indian gives Rowlandson a Bible, a female grabs it from her, throws it, and then slaps her across the face. Later, when King Philip helps her wash herself, a female Indian throws ash into her eyes. Even her master acknowledges that he understands her position when he tells her, “Two weeks more and you shal be Mistress again” (96). Jacobs is mistress of no one, and she knows that the only way she may be able to bring peace to her people is to convince white women to protest the unjust treatment of black women. She creates sympathy for her sex by highlighting instances of oppression that all women can relate to: “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” (66). Dr. Flint, like so many other slave owners, uses Linda's sexuality against her, as a weapon for further enslavement. As soon as she was of child-bearing age, her “master began to whisper foul words” into her ear. Jacobs differentiates between white women's subjugation and that of black women when she writes that “there is no shadow of law to protect [the black woman] from insult, from violence, or even from death; all these are inflicted by fiends who bear the shape of men” (26). Jacobs also goes so far as to paint Mrs. Flint as an utter fool who is jealous of Linda for all the wrong reasons. In a scene parallel to Rowlandson's, Mrs. Flint makes Linda swear on a Bible that she is innocent of relations with Dr. Flint. In Rowladson's narrative, the Bible signifies her loyalty to God in the face of adversity. In Jacobs' story, it represents the hypocrisy of Puritanism.

While Rowlandson remains passive, submitting her life to Providence and all higher authority, Linda is constantly active, striving to find ways to free herself and her family. At one point, Rowlandson actually has a chance to escape her native captors, but she fails to act because she would rather “wait on the Lord” for “deliverance” (77). The truth is that Rowlandson could likely not survive on her own in the wilderness. She chooses to remain the passive female over attempting to free herself. Jacobs, on the other hand, wastes no time taking the opportunity to escape. As soon as she realizes that her children are to be brought to the plantation to be “broke in,” she begins making plans to flee. Of the gentleman that gives her this information, she says, “To this day I feel grateful to [him]. It nerved me to immediate action” (80). Linda realizes that if she does not act fast, her two children will be made slaves as well. She does not wait for God or anyone else to give her guidance. To escape, she can only rely on herself.

It is ironic that Rowlandson, who claims the Indians are such barbaric creatures, submits herself to them without argument. This simply reflects her Puritanical values which place her second in command to male authorities. Even though the Indians were savage characters, she maintains her place as a good Christian woman by allowing them to dominate her. She even goes so far as to recognize King Philip as a benevolent protector, calling him “the best friend that I had of an Indian” (86). Linda does not submit to the same power structure, and, instead, commits a series of “sins” in order to pursue her freedom. First and foremost, instead of allowing Dr. Flint to control her sexuality, she takes charge of it herself, developing an intimate relationship and having two children with Mr. Sands, a successful white lawyer. She also flees and hides from her master for several years, and practices deception by sending him letters postmarked from a different location. While she devotes page after page to confessing her sins and recalling the pain and humiliation of her actions, she also asserts the necessity of action in order to free herself from slavery. She does not see her actions as unforgivable considering the circumstances.

Unlike Rowlandson, Jacobs refuses to accept the Puritanical power structure that reinforced slavery and promoted the subjugation of women. She portrays herself as a devoted mother in an attempt to connect with white women of the North. At her narrative's end, she writes, “Reader, my story ends with freedom; not in the usual way, with marriage” (164). While she “longs for a hearthstone” of her own, she does not plan on marrying to obtain it (164). She does not need a man to provide for her. By proving that religion is often distorted for personal gain, she attempts to undermine the patriarchal society that awards men ownership of all women.


Works Cited
Jacobs, Harriet. “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl.” Dover: New York, 2001. Print.

Rowlandson, Mary. “Sovereignty and the Goodness of God.” Ed. Neal Salisbury. Bedford/St. Martin's: Boston, 1997. Print.