Point of View

There are two distinct points of view in this novel. This first point of view is the first person point of view. The first two parts of the novel are written in a letter format, therefore they are written in the first person point of view through the eyes of the main character, Harriet Jacobs. The third part of the novel tells of Harriet's later years of life, beginning when she finally escapes the south and ending with her death. These years are told in a simple third person point of view that includes something of the authorial voice.

The author has fictionalized the true story of Harriet Jacobs by telling the story of her early life through letters the author imagines she might have written. These letters are to friends and family of Harriet's who have either died or run away to freedom in the...