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Harriet Jacobs / Linda Brent
Linda’s grandmother and the matriarch of her family. An elderly but energetic and hardworking woman, Grandmother is so prominent in the community that she even has the respect of some white people. When Dr. Flint proposes to auction her, a white woman buys her and sets her free. Grandmother uses her new status to save up money to buy her son, Phillip, and to protect Linda and William in any way she can. Although she’s a woman of strict religious principles and is appalled when Linda becomes pregnant out of wedlock, she provides her a refuge from Dr. Flint, and later hides her in a crawlspace for seven years. Grandmother is a source of strength and principle for Linda, who always depends on her judgment; at the same time, her insistence on making the best of the family’s situation in the South contrasts with Linda’s determination to escape and involvement in activist circles after her escape. At the end of the narrative, Grandmother dies; the tranquility of her death and her faith that she will meet God in heaven is reflective of the sincerity of her religious beliefs, as opposed to the hypocrisy of Christianity as practiced by slave owners.
Grandmother Quotes in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
The Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl quotes below are all either spoken by Grandmother or refer to Grandmother. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 2
Quotes
When my grandmother applied for him for payment he said the estate was insolvent, and the law prohibited payment. It did not, however, prohibit him from retaining the silver candelabra, which had been purchased with that money. I presume they will be handed down in the family, from generation to generation.
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Chapter 29
Quotes
We knelt down together, with my child pressed to my heart, and my other arm round the faithful, loving old friend I was about to leave forever. On no other occasion has it ever been my lot to listen to so fervent a supplication for mercy and protection. It thrilled through my heart, and inspired me with trust in God.
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Grandmother Quotes in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
The Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl quotes below are all either spoken by Grandmother or refer to Grandmother. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 2
Quotes
When my grandmother applied for him for payment he said the estate was insolvent, and the law prohibited payment. It did not, however, prohibit him from retaining the silver candelabra, which had been purchased with that money. I presume they will be handed down in the family, from generation to generation.
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Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 29
Quotes
We knelt down together, with my child pressed to my heart, and my other arm round the faithful, loving old friend I was about to leave forever. On no other occasion has it ever been my lot to listen to so fervent a supplication for mercy and protection. It thrilled through my heart, and inspired me with trust in God.
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