Betrayal

When I found out that Mr. Sands has sold Ellen into slavery instead of freeing her I was amazed at the portrayal of white men in the course of the novel. The one man that seemed to be more eloquent and with better moral judgement has betrayed the woman he bore children with! Even though Jacobs claims that there were some kind masters it seems unreal the unfortunate circumstances that one person could have so many betrayals to her. Was this the norm for the time period? Did no one keep their promises to, "emancipate (others)"(172)? This helped reveal to me why she had such a lack of emotion while writing, since this fact was so hard to believe, even with a knowledge of the hardships of the time period. to whites in the north, her story would have seemed so unrealistic it would be tossed aside as a ploy for attention, one that was greatly exaggerated. It continually amazes me to see the trials that Linda Brent goes through with,"daggers into her heart" and her ability to gather her wits and persevere for her childrens' sake(171).