Quotes From Bondwoman's Narrative

Trapped Narrator

Bondwoman's Narrative is written by a person who called itself as Hannah Crafts. But since the book was a manuscript before the editor bought from an auction and published recently, it is not clear yet who actually wrote this book. However it is strongly supposed by its editor and other reviewers that the book is the first novel of a slave woman. The value of a narrative from a fugitive or former slave is significant in terms of historical context because of its relevance to understanding eighteenth and nineteenth century American history. (Andrews, 1) Therefore, if Bondwoman's Narrative is actually written by a slave woman, the book's historical value cannot be measured. Since the identity of the author is still in discussion, analyzing the text in different aspects comes across

All of her stories are constructed based on a subordination system of slave and master or mistress. Throughout the text, the theme of social class is constant. Therefore, she continuously reflects on the classification of people and even links Christianity to support her belief. She introduces northern people by saying that they "love to think and to speak of all mankind as brothers, the children of one great parent, and all bound to the same eternity." (10) This narration appears after she meets aunt Hetty and uncle Siah, who introduce her to "trust in God" (9), and that God can be inferred to as "one great parent"(10) Here she is using religious power to tell how all human beings are equal, thus rejecting class distinction. Crafts emphasizes again later in the story that human equality is supported by Christianity which supports her argument's reasonableness. "The constitution that asserts the right of freedom and equality to all mankind is a sealed book to them, and so is the Bible" (207) Now, she directly references "the Bible" which represents