| American black female writer Harriet Jacobs is regarded as the pioneer of blackfeminist autobiography and traditional black female literature. Though she is one of themost excellent female writers in American history, she just produces only one book, thatis, her autobiography Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. It took Jacobs fives years tocomplete, and it is written according to her own life experience. The autobiography hasa great influence on the development of black slave literature. Meanwhile, the book isthe first autobiography that deals with “the sexual exploitation of the white slave ownerto the female slave”. Jacobs’ autobiography promotes the development of blackliterature to some extent. Because Jacobs is one of the black female writers in Americanearly history, there are rich studies concerning her life experiences and herautobiography. However, Chinese scholars’ research about Harriet Jacobs is usuallydone from the perspective of narrative.On the basis of Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, this thesis analyzes Jacobs’different cultural identities in different periods and the process of her seeking forcultural identity, and explores its significant influence on the study of black women’ssocial status and their struggle against social discrimination. This thesis is composed offive parts. In introduction, Harriet Jacobs’ life experiences and the content of herautobiography are presented, and then related studies at home and abroad are reviewed.In addition, the central argument and main idea of this thesis is introduced briefly. In thefirst chapter, the concept, the characteristics and the application of cultural identity arediscussed, which lays the foundation of this thesis. The second chapter is an analysis ofJacobs’ loss of her cultural identity in early years. At the beginning of thisautobiography, Jacobs is a black female slave who lacks cultural identity which ismainly embodied in two aspects: she is controlled by her slave owner, and she becomesthe lover of a white man in order to escape from sexual exploitation. In the mean time,Harriet Jacobs adopts a slave narrative which is different from the mainstream narrativein American society. Therefore, her loss of cultural identity is also implied in hernarrative method. The third chapter is a discussion of Jacobs’ seeking for her cultural identity as a black slave. It undergoes the area of her acceptance of the essence of thewhite culture and her identifying with the black tradition and culture. In the fourthchapter, Jacobs’ effort to construct cultural identity is analyzed. Her desire for freedom,social development, economy and her families work together leading to Jacobs’ seekingfor cultural identity. After experiencing toughness and sufferings in constructing culturalidentity, Harriet Jacobs is spiritually reborn. She becomes a new black womancompletely, which is the reflection of her new cultural identity. Meanwhile, Jacobsbegins to have the responsibility for her black group, and scans the relationship betweenslaves and slaveholders from a new cultural perspective. In order to attract people’sattention to the evil slavery particularly white masters’ sexual exploitation on femaleslaves, Jacobs risks a potential condemnation from her readers to tell her own story. Shewins self-respect for herself, by which she becomes a new black woman and starts tofight for the freedom and the right for black slaves.The process for Jacobs to seek for and construct her cultural identity has a greatinfluence not only on the development of black culture, but also the black people’sconstruction of their cultural identity. What’s more, it proves that inheritance of blackculture’s quintessence and absorbing of white culture’s essence can help black peopleovercome the crisis of identity and construct cultural identity. In a word, Jacobs’ lifeexperience and brave behavior accelerates the development of black culture, and it playsa positive role in black people’s construction of their cultural identity. |
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