Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl | Characters

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Character	Description
Linda Brent	Determined and strong-willed, Linda is the main character of the narrative. Read More
Dr. Flint	A physician, Dr. Flint is married to the mother of Linda's mistress. Read More
Aunt Martha	Aunt Martha is Linda's maternal grandmother and the loving mother of nine children. Read More
Mr. Sands	Mr. Sands is a generous and articulate white lawyer and the father of Linda's children; he eventually serves in Congress and returns from Washington with a wife. Read More
Benny	Benny is Linda's bright and cheerful son, her first child with Mr. Sands. Read More
Ellen	Linda's tender, demure daughter, Ellen, is her second child with Mr. Sands. Read More
Phillip	A carpenter, Phillip is Linda's uncle and the son of Martha, who purchases his freedom. Read More
Aggie	Aggie is an old slave who loses all of her children to the auction block.
Benjamin	Vivacious, handsome Benjamin is Linda's uncle and Martha's youngest son; he escapes to New York following his imprisonment.
Betty	Outgoing and caring, Betty is the kind benefactress's cook; she helps conceal Linda.
Betty's husband	Betty's husband loves children and regrets being childless.
Bill	Dr. and Mrs. Flint's slave, he carries Ellen back to jail when she is sick.
Mary Bruce	Mary is Mr. and Mrs. Bruce's first-born child, whom Linda takes cares of.
Mr. Bruce	Mr. Bruce is a widower who remarries; a father of two, he lives in New York.
Mrs. Bruce (first)	Mrs. Bruce (first) is the mother of Mary, whom Linda nurses, and she is Mr. Bruce's first wife.
Mrs. Bruce	An abolitionist, Mrs. Bruce is Linda's kind boss and Mr. Bruce's second wife; she hides Linda from pursuers and purchases her freedom.
Charity	Charity is a slave and Linda's childhood acquaintance.
Mr. Conant	Mr. Conant is a cruel slaveholder.
Emily Dodge	Emily Dodge, formerly Emily Flint, is Linda's mistress; while still a child, she inherits Linda.
Mr. Dodge	Mr. Dodge is Emily Dodge's husband; he sells Linda to Mrs. Bruce after Dr. Flint dies.
Mrs. Durham	Mrs. Durham is Rev. Durham's kind and intelligent wife.
Mrs. Durham's daughter	Mrs. Durham's daughter shares a room with Linda in Philadelphia.
Rev. Jeremiah Durham	A minister at Bethel Church and husband of Mrs. Durham, Rev. Durham hosts Linda while she stays in Philadelphia.
Fanny	Fanny is a friend of Linda's who sails to Philadelphia with her.
Cousin Fanny	Cousin Fanny is Linda's friend who lives with Martha for a while.
Miss Fanny	Miss Fanny is Mr. Flint's great-aunt; she purchases Martha's freedom and has tea with her often.
Dr. Flint's friend	When Linda wants to marry her lover, Dr. Flint's sympathetic friend tries to reason with her master.
Mr. Flint	Dr. and Mrs. Flint's son, he owns a cotton plantation where Linda works.
Mrs. Flint	Mrs. Flint is the cruel young wife of Mr. Flint.
Nicholas Flint	Nicholas is William's master.
Uncle Fred	A devout Christian, Uncle Fred wants to get closer to God by reading the Bible; Linda teaches him to read.
Free black man	The free black man colludes with the whites and hunts Linda.
Friend from home	At Linda's request, her friend from home visits the Dodges' hotel room to pry for information.
Gentleman	Fond of Martha, the gentleman, while touring the plantation, warns Linda that her master is sending for her children.
Mr. Hobbs	Mr. Hobbs is Mrs. Hobbs's husband and likes to drink with Mr. Thorne.
Mrs. Hobbs	Mrs. Hobbs is the cousin of Mr. Sands and later Ellen's employer; she neglects Ellen.
Lawyer Hopper	Lawyer Hopper is Mrs. Bruce's friend; he gives Linda legal advice.
Humane slaveholder	The humane slaveholder inherits slaves who adore her; after marrying a selfish man who mistreats her and her slaves, she finds relief in death.
James	James, Charity's son and thus also a slave, is cruelly murdered by an overseer.
Jenny	Jenny is the kind benefactress's housemaid; she tries to unlock Linda's hiding place.
Kind benefactress	The kind benefactress offers to hide Linda until she can escape North, as long as her name remains confidential.
Linda's father	Linda's father is a respected carpenter who pays his mistress a fee to work in his trade; he dies shortly after Linda's mother.
Linda's friend	Linda's friend offers to hide her when she flees the plantation and she tends to Linda's snakebite.
Linda's lover	A freeborn man, Linda's lover is a pious and intelligent carpenter; he proposes to Linda and offers to buy her freedom.
Linda's mistress	Linda's mistress teaches her how to read and write; when she passes away, she breaks her promise to free Linda.
Linda's mother	Linda's mother is Martha's daughter; she creates a loving home and protects her children from slavery until she dies.
Mr. Litch	Mr. Litch is a cruel and wealthy slaveholder.
Mr. Litch's brother	Mr. Litch's brother is a cruel slaveholder who trains bloodhounds.
Martha's mistress	Martha's mistress is the mother of Dr. Flint's wife; she dies without repaying a loan Martha had made to her.
Mourning mother	When all of her children are traded, the mourning mother breaks down in church.
Nancy	Nancy is Linda's kind aunt, Martha's daughter, and housekeeper and waiting maid for Mrs. Flint.
Nicholas's brother	Nicholas's brother spreads lies about William to get him in trouble.
Northern women	Northern women are Linda's intended readers; she often addresses them directly.
Peter	Apprentice and best friend to Linda's father, Peter is Linda's protective and trustworthy friend; he helps her escape.
Rev. Mr. Pike	After the African American church is destroyed, Rev. Mr. Pike holds the Sunday service for slaves; his teachings serve slaveholders.
Amy Post	Amy Post is Linda's dear friend; she employs Linda for almost a year.
Isaac Post	Amy's husband and a valued friend of Linda's, Isaac Post employs Linda for almost a year.
Sally	Sally is loyal and lives with Martha; when Linda flees, she helps her and keeps her secret.
Fanny Sands	Fanny is Mr. Sands's daughter, whom he favors over Ellen.
Mrs. Sands	Mr. Sands's wife, who returns with him from the North.
Mrs. Sands's sister	Mrs. Sands's sister likes Ellen and offers to adopt her.
Sarah	Sarah is the daughter of Martha's friend who lives in New York.
Second clergyman	The second clergyman preaches equality and is loved by the slaves.
Mr. Thorne	Mr. Thorne is Mrs. Hobbs's brother who visits from the South; a heavy drinker, he reveals Linda's address to Dr. Flint.
Town constable	A slave owner and trader, the town constable abuses his authority; Martha invites him to Christmas dinner for a house tour.
Mrs. Wade	Mrs. Wade is a cruel slaveholder.
William	Affectionate and bold, William is Linda's younger brother.

Context Character Analysis

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