Slaves and the Devil

In early American literature and early European history, Blacks have been accused of being descendants of Satan. European and Spanish cultures have long associated dark skin with the devil and the tradition of representing evil with the color black led to the portrayal of the devil as a black man. Early Spanish literature linked black traditions and rituals as being demonic and that black women performed “acts” with the devil (White 3).

In Harriet Ann Jacobs, “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl,” I noticed two separate occasions when the color of a black person was associated with the devil. The first time was when Jacob’s mistress was accusing her of sleeping with her master. The master lied and said that the mistress must have tortured Jacobs into exposing him. Jacobs was appalled that he would say this and said the devil must have no trouble in distinguishing the color of his soul. To me this meant that Jacobs in saying that his soul must be black because whites are known to be good and the black are known to be the bad people. So instead of being the good white man that he should be he is now being deceitful and lying like a sinful black person is supposed to do. The devil must be in control of his soul to make him act the way that he is. Another reason why Mr. Flint’s soul must be black is because a white person should never cheat on his spouse with another person, especially not a black because they are linked to Satan so in order for his to have intercourse with a black person must mean he has a connection with the devil as well.

The other incident where blacks were linked to Satan and demonic things is when Jacobs is talking about preserving her self respect but it was very difficult because of the demonic portrayals of Slaves. This is a sad thought to think about a good person having trouble in the world and having everyone look at her as a demon and a relative to the devil because of the color of her skin. Jacobs says that she feels that God and man have forsaken her and she has no hope. She feels that no matter what she does, good or bad, she will always be looked at as sinful and demonic. I think that most slaves of that time