Letters From A Slave Girl Analysis

Letters from a Slave Girl

Letters from a Slave Girl is a fictional biography by Mary E. Lyons. This story is about an eleven year old girl who’s name is Harriet. Harriet is eleven when she starts to write letters to her mom. In her letters she tells her mom about her first owner, Margaret Horniblow, that had died. Margaret made a promise to Harriet’s own mother on her deathbed and Harriet hopes that Margaret will free her in her will. But, Harriet is upset to find out that Margaret has left her with her three year old niece, Mary Matilda; because of this Harriet has to live with Mary’s family, which includes her mean ol’e father, Dr. Norcom. Then she starts writing letters to her father, she tells him about about life at the Norcom house, like how hard work it is
With the coming arrival of Harriet’s pregnancy, she has her first child but then moves to go live with her grandmother because Mrs. Norcom is furious with her pregnancy. Even after her second child she still is living with her grandmother. But, Dr. Norcom is getting very impatient and tells Harriet to either move into a cottage he built for her or go live on his son’s land and she will have to sell her kids. Harriet picks to go live on the land but instead of having to sell her kids she runs away to a friend’s and hides there for some weeks. Harriet moves to a couple of different places for a while but then finally ends up in a small garret cut up above her grandmother’s house. Dr. Norcom gets mad because he can’t find Harriet so, he arrests her brother, aunt, and kids to Sawyer. Harriet then starts to write letters to Dr. Norcom, trying to convince him that she is living in New York. Harriet hopes and prays everyday that Samuel Sawyer will free her kids, but he doesn’t do that, instead he takes their daughter and gives her to a cousin in New York as a servant. Harriet has the chance to escape on a ship to the north but decides not to because of her grandmother’s fear that she