She decorated Mistress? room because she truly loved her. Jacobs was a very lucky girl to have such a wonderful childhood with a pleasant white owner. In fact, Jacobs was so happy with Mistress that she didn?t even know she was a slave until she was six years old. She truly believed that whites were nice. But that would all change when Jacobs was twelve years old (Jacobs 199). Mistress became ill and died. During her sickness, Jacobs prayed that Mistress would get better and live. Unfortunately, her prayers were not answered. Jacobs loved Mistress very much and that love caused her to mourn Mistress? death. Jacobs? first mistress was so nice that even the nearby children thought that upon her death, she would let Jacobs be free. But that was not the case; in the will of Mistress, it was ordered that her sister?s daughter would acquire Jacobs (Jacobs 199-120). A person?s childhood is the time when they learn the most. And in the case of Jacobs, she learned the goodness of whites at an early age. As any other child who was treated kindly, Jacobs expected to be treated with kindness in her new ?home?. Since her new owner, Emily Flint, was still too young to make decisions, her father, Dr. Flint, took control of Jacobs. Dr. Flint harassed and forbid Harriet to love anyone other than him. He told Jacobs that she must be subject to his will in all things (Jacobs 131-132). Dr. Flint constantly made many efforts to force Jacobs to submit sexually to him. Her days with Dr. Flint were filled with misery.?I had always been kindly treated, and tenderly cared for, until I came into the hands of Dr. Flint. I had never wished for freedom till then (Jacobs 221).?Jacobs had another fear besides being sexually harassed and that fear was being separated from her children. To Jacobs, freedom meant that she could free her own children and be united as a family with her as a loving mother (Appiah 15-16). But Jacobs knew that Dr. Flint would never let that h...
