silver candelabra

In Harriet A Jacobs’ Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Linda’s grandmother lends her mistress three hundred dollars to buy a silver candelabra. When her mistress passes away, Dr. Flint is “appointed executor,” therefore Linda’s grandmother inquires him about the borrowed money. He never repays the loan because he believes that property is prohibited to buy property. Linda’s grandmother is deceived because of her status of being a slave. She is only seen as an object, rather than a person. Also, her betrayal by Dr. Flint is parallel to the biblical representation of Christ being deceived by Judas for thirty pieces of silver. Linda also acknowledges the silver candelabra will be an heirloom for Dr. Flint’s family. The silver candelabra is a representation of society’s dependence on the hard labor of their slaves in order to gain profit, which is illustrated throughout the whole text.

Jenny Saenz