Told from the view point of a fugitive slave, the narrative of Henry Bibb, written by himself, is an enthralling tale of a heart-broken father and husband. Bibb’s persistent attitude throughout the account triggers his blunt yet descriptive approach to the narrative as a whole. Throughout his lifetime Bibb sets his eyes on the ultimate prize of freedom, insisting that “the All-wise Creator, had made man a free, moral, intelligent and accountable being…that every man has a right to wages for his labor; a right to his own wife and children; a right to liberty and the pursuit of happiness…” (Bibb 444). Feeling entitled to his freedom, Bibb begins his fight for independence thus challenging all who dared to call him a slave.
Over the span of eight years Bibbs continuously pursues his desire for liberation in the form of escaping his five masters by running away several different times. Of the five, Bibb flees from his cruelest master, the Deacon Whitfield, multiple times. Bibb and another slave, Malinda, agree to marry under the condition that they will both take their earliest opportunity to escape to Canada for freedom. His first encounter with escape is done alone after which he returns back to Kentucky where he was “so fortunate as to find Malinda, and little Frances…to find the fair climes of liberty, and whom I was then seeking to rescue from perpetual slavery” (Bibb 467). His boundless love for his wife and child would compel him to return, seven more times, to try and emancipate his beloved wife and child; the ultimate outcome fruitless.
Finally, Bibb is sold to an Indian for whom he regards with the highest amount of respect, describing him as “the most reasonable, and humane slaveholder that [he] has ever belonged to” (Bibb 527). The death of this Indian master allows him a final escape, subsequently permitting him his freedom and a safe return to Kentucky. Upon discovering his wife’s forced infidelity with a slave owner, Bibb decides return to Canada where he meets the Anti-Slavery activist, his second wife; Mary E. Miles. To conclude, Bibb, alongside his new wife “advances the Anti-Slavery cause” by revealing to the public their own accounts of the horrors of slavery (Bibb 553).
Works Cited
Bibbs, Henry. Narrative of The Life and Adventures of Henry Bibb, An American Slave. Slave Narratives 1789. Eds. William Andrews and Henry Louis Gates, Jr.: Library of America 2000; pgs. 427-566.
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ReplyDeleteIt is interesting to see how families being torn apart affected male slaves. Especially in Harriet Jacobs's narrative, we saw how women were profoundly influenced when being separated from their children. The male perspective is often missing, but male slaves obviously suffered from some of the same situations as the women. The fact that Bibbs came back for his wife and child after escaping shows his devotion to them. I'm just wondering if his wife's forced relationship with her master was the only reason he finally gave up on trying to help her escape. Did he feel betrayed by her, even though she had no control over the situation?
ReplyDeleteYou mention that Bibb "advanced the anti slavery cause" by revealing the horrors of slavery. Did he make an impact by talking about his experiences as a slave? How would you relate this to the other narratives we have talked about in class?
ReplyDeleteDo you think that because Bibb was married, his fight for liberation was more of a struggle? Do you think this is why many males slaves choose to stay single so they did not have the emotional ties to family?
ReplyDeleteI really like how your summary is short and straight to the main points. I am able to get a good feel for the narrative, without feeling like I am reading the whole thing myself. It leaves readers of this summary interested in wanting to read this narrative.
ReplyDeleteOwnership by different ethnicities is under emphasized in most slave narratives and history books. Why do you think this is? Is it because there was an actual fewer number of minorities holding slaves, or was it frowned upon by some as it is in our current novel "The Known World"
ReplyDeleteClarissa-
ReplyDeleteOnce Bibb discovers the truth about his wife's forced infidelity he feels that, because of it, he can no longer accept her as his wife. He states "She has ever since been regarded as theoretically and practically dead to me as a wife, for she was living in a state of adultery, according to the law of God and man."
Florencia-
Bibb made a profound impact in talking about his experiences as a slave due to the fluency in which his speeches were delivered. A reporter described Bibb as "no common man...His voice and enunciations are good - his language is chaste, very correct, and sometimes truly eloquent...and he has that appearance of sincerity which seldom fails to win the heart."
Samantha-
Bibb surely endured more struggles in his attempts to return time and time again to Kentucky for his family. Had he been single, he could've easily been free with his first successful escape. This could have attributed to the overall choice of male slaves to stay single.
Kate-
Bibb states, when talking about Indians, that they "allow their slaves enough to eat and wear. They have no overseers to whip nor drive them" and that "if I must be a slave, I had by far, rather be a slave to an Indian, than to a white man, from the experience I have had with both." With that, slave holding Indians could've gone largely unmentioned because of the better treatment their slaves endured. As far as other minorities, perhaps they also went largely unmentioned because the majority of slave holders were white.