Throughout the entire story Jacobs attempts to control her life to the furthest extent possible. At a young age, Jacobs did not know the differences between being white and black. As she matured she found out that there was a “peculiar institution” t

Her determination, in the end, helped to her to shape and fulfill her destiny. She had always dreamed of being free, not just having control, but knowing that no one could take her life away from her without warning. Her idea of her destiny changed as her life progressed. She originally wanted control for herself, then freedom for her children and herself, and finally she realized that she wanted a life with her family and that her past could help those still in the shackles of slavery. Her quest started as a selfish one, changed to include her new family, and finally extended to the world. Her strength to survive and to learn from her situation allowed her to contribute to the history of the world by telling the story of a young slave girl on plantation in the South.

hat controlled her life. She felt demeaned by the Dr. Flint and his wife, particularly his wife when Jacobs was younger. As she grew older Dr. Flint began to take an interest in her. Seeing as she was not beaten, her main goal was to gain control of her “love life.” Without looking for love, Jacobs found a free colored carpenter who she had been “well acquainted with in childhood, and frequently met together afterwards.” As soon as her lover’s identity was known to the Flint’s it was quickly ended. Mrs. Flint lashed out stating, “Do you suppose that I will have you tending my children with the children of that nigger?” “[Dr. Flint] sprang upon [her] like a tiger.” After forbidding them to see each other he continued with his verbal punishment reminding her that “I have the right to do as I like with you, - that I can kill you, if I please.” This passage not only showed Jacobs that her love life was in the control of her masters, but that her very life was a privilege that could be taken away by the whim of Dr. Flint.

It was not only for the sake of her children that her experiences had meaning. In the North Jacobs realized that her experiences could impact a large population of people and aid the abolitionists. Her story would be eventually published by an English company and distributed in America as well. Her horrible past now transcended her and became one of the many stepping stones toward abolition. For centuries people have wondered why good people

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