John S. Jacobs’s Narrative: Gender, Audience, and Abolitionism

Comparative Analysis of John S. Jacobs's Narrative. "A True Tale of Slavery", written in 1861 by Harriet Jacobs’s activist brother, John S. Jacobs, serves as a compelling companion text to Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. In many ways, John S. Jacobs’s narrative is a more typical example of an antebellum slave narrative than that of his sister. This divergence is primarily attributable to gender conventions and target readership. As do other male slave narrators before him, such as William Wells Brown or Frederick Douglass, John S. Jacobs "sounds the notes of anger, militancy, and humor that the 19th century assigned to men" ("Through Her Brother's Eyes" 48). The more feminine gender conventions of melodrama, sentiment, and confessional prose are as irrelevant to his narrative as they were central to his sister’s work. For this reason, John S. Jacobs’s narrative, although it covers much of the same biographical territory as his sister’s, provides a distinct perspective on his life and experiences, highlighting how differences in gender and audience shape life-writing.

Target Audience and Moral Self-Improvement. Whereas Harriet Jacobs’s narrative was explicitly directed at sympathetic white women of the American North, John S. Jacobs’s narrative was written for a British audience that included adults and children of both genders. The Leisure Hour, the British periodical that published "A True Tale of Slavery", claimed on its masthead to be "a family journal of instruction and recreation". The contents of the periodical ranged from the adventures of a family of pioneers in Canada, to rags-to-riches stories, to essays on natural science. Elements of John S. Jacobs’s narrative make it clear that he kept the paper's specific editorial focus in mind as he was writing. While he primarily narrates his physical journey from slavery to freedom, he also stresses his mental journey from ignorance to knowledge.

The Whaling Voyage and Self-Education. Once he reached the free states, John S. Jacobs informs the reader that he "soon began to feel my responsibility, and the necessity of mental improvement" (220–221). Resolved to become a useful member of society and an aid to his family, he decided to educate himself during a whaling voyage. He succeeded by making "the best possible use of [his] leisure hours on board" (221). In this way, he set himself up as a model to his readers, not only as an escaped slave but also as a self-made man.

Structural and Stylistic Divergences. The overall structure and style of John S. Jacobs’s narrative reflect the expectations of a serial-reading family audience. His narration is pragmatic and episodic, rather than emotional, reflective, and novelistic like his sister’s text. His focus remains on the physical drama of capture and escape and the material injustice of the slave system, rather than the emotional and spiritual conflict that drives Harriet Jacobs’s prose.

Comparative Scene: The Attempted Sale of Molly. The scene in which Dr. James Norcom tries to sell their grandmother, Molly, offers a clear point of comparison between the two siblings' texts. Harriet Jacobs stresses the affective side of the scene, describing her grandmother’s pride, Dr. James Norcom’s shame, and the dignity of the elderly woman who purchases her freedom. John S. Jacobs, on the other hand, focuses on the practical mechanics, such as the way his grandmother saved the money that was to free her and enlisted white townspeople to help her manage her business. Like John S. Jacobs himself, Molly is portrayed as a model of practical self-improvement under adverse circumstances to which readers, male and female alike, can relate.

Gendered Angles and the Model of the Reformed Trickster. Gender operates as a primary influence throughout John S. Jacobs’s narrative. As an enslaved man, he approaches his life and experiences from a structural angle distinct from his sister's. An example of this is evident in the differing ways they describe their parents. Harriet Jacobs’s memories of her father, Elijah Knox, are fond, and she credits him with instilling a sense of freedom within his children despite his inability to grant them legal liberty; however, her main point of emotional connection throughout her text is with the memory of her mother, Delilah. John S. Jacobs, conversely, has only a "slight recollection" of his mother but identifies strongly with his father. He writes, "To be a man, and not to be a man"—"a father without authority—a husband and no protector—is the darkest of fates" (207). John S. Jacobs credits his hatred of slavery and determination to escape almost entirely to his father’s teachings, whereas Harriet Jacobs describes a variety of inspirational figures, both male and female.

Subterfuge and Triumphant Resistance. John S. Jacobs’s characterization of himself and others follows the model of other male slave narratives. As does William Wells Brown, John S. Jacobs portrays himself as a reformed trickster who acted dishonestly only to escape the unjust violence of bondage. Subterfuge, John S. Jacobs insists, was necessary if he hoped to escape bondage: "Unpleasant as it was thus to act, yet, under the circumstances in which I was placed, I feel that I have done no wrong in so doing" (215). His humorous depictions of pulling the wool over his master’s eyes reflect a less contrite emotion; he clearly revels in the verbal trickery that enabled him to get the better of his master, maintaining a tone that is more triumphant than humble.

Framing Harriet’s Flight. This characterization extends to his portrayal of Harriet Jacobs. In her narrative, Harriet Jacobs describes her decision to run away as a last-ditch effort to save her children from slavery, but John S. Jacobs depicts it as the heroic act of an individual. He claims, "With her it was, in the language of one of our fathers, 'liberty or death'". The agonizing personal story of her sexual harassment and flight is replaced by an outsider’s perspective and a subtly humorous narrative voice. Once she has run away, John S. Jacobs comments to the reader, "You will by-and-by see that she did not leave with the intention of returning" (210). While Harriet Jacobs occasionally allows herself moments of sarcastic humor—such as referring to Dr. James Norcom’s attempts to reclaim her from the North as a "cordial invitation" (187)—she is very careful to maintain the tone expected in 19th-century women’s writing.

Abolitionist Discourse and Genre Boundaries. John S. Jacobs’s narrative—both what it includes and what it omits regarding his sister’s life—demonstrates how daring Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl truly was. The way his story occasionally cuts abruptly back and forth from his sister’s experiences to his own signifies the importance of her story to his own, but also highlights his inability to provide explicit details about her sexual persecution to a 19th-century family readership. In this way, his text exposes the limitations of popular abolitionist discourse in accurately depicting the lived realities of enslaved women. It was only by taking the pen in her own hand that Harriet Jacobs could push past the boundaries of the traditional slave narrative and the sentimental novel to present the complete truth of her life.

For Discussion or Writing. Analytical prompts for further academic study:
- Read the narrative of John S. Jacobs and discuss how his style, focus, and story differ from his sister’s autobiography.
- Compare John S. Jacobs’s description of Harriet Jacobs’s life and actions to her own self-representation. What is different, and what contextual factors explain these differences?