Incidents in the Life of Slave Girl Pt. 2

My children grew finely; and Dr. Flint would often say to me, with an exulting smile, "These brats will bring me a handsome sum of money one of these days."
I thought to myself that, God being my helper, they should never pass into his hands. It seemed to me I would rather see them killed than have them given up to his power.

This passage underlines the overall hopelessness Jacobs felt at her predicament. What should have given her great joy - the birth of her children - is instead just one more thing for Dr. Flint to use to exercise his control over her. I found this passage particularly unsettling for it does a good job of succinctly illustrating the kind of person that Dr. Flint is. It is obvious that he considers the children, and all slaves in general, as no better than livestock. In fact, less than livestock, for no one in their right mind would flog some of their livestock for whom they had paid a hefty price. Flint's overall attitude, and the pleasure he takes in it, is evidence of how slavery has degraded him morally. I think it quite likely that even if the institution of slavery had never existed, Flint would have still been extremely unpleasant person but the circumstances in which he lived helped to make him much more than unpleasant, instead he became a monster. This is the point that Jacobs is making when she speaks of the degrading effect slavery has on whites as well as blacks. It scarred everyone involved, be those scars emotional or physical.