# Mrs. Bruce — Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl character guide

> Mrs. Bruce in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Linda Brent.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** kind Mrs. Bruce, Kind Mrs. Bruce, The new Mrs. Bruce, Last Mrs. Bruce, Dear Mrs. Bruce

**First appearance:** 0036-xxxiii-a-home-found

## Snapshot

The Northern employer whose persistent kindness pursues Linda even when Linda, wary of charity, resists being saved.

## Who they are

Mrs. Bruce enters Linda's life in the free North as an employer whose decency stands in sharp contrast to the Flints, yet whose help Linda cannot accept without ambivalence. When a new master threatens to seize Linda's children, Mrs. Bruce arranges escape and eventually purchases Linda's freedom, a gift that lands on Linda as both deliverance and a fresh wound. Her steady, unglamorous persistence forces the book's hardest question: what does freedom mean when it still arrives as a bill of sale.

## In the story

### [A Home Found](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/incidents_in_the_life_of_a_slave_girl_se/chapters/xxxiii-a-home-found)

Mrs. Bruce hires Linda as a nurse, treats her with kindness, offers to provide a home for Ellen, and helps Linda with her health.

### [The Old Enemy Again](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/incidents_in_the_life_of_a_slave_girl_se/chapters/xxxiv-the-old-enemy-again)

Linda's employer, unaware of Linda's fugitive status; treats Linda with considerate kindness.

### [Prejudice Against Color](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/incidents_in_the_life_of_a_slave_girl_se/chapters/xxxv-prejudice-against-color)

Supports Linda by offering her tea and arm, and advocating for her.

### [The Hairbreadth Escape](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/incidents_in_the_life_of_a_slave_girl_se/chapters/xxxvi-the-hairbreadth-escape)

Linda's employer and protector; helps Linda escape by providing shelter and a carriage, and gives Ellen a shawl and hood.

### [A Visit to England](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/incidents_in_the_life_of_a_slave_girl_se/chapters/xxxvii-a-visit-to-england)

Has died; Linda mourns her loss as an excellent friend and tender mother to little Mary.

### [XL: The Fugitive Slave Law](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/incidents_in_the_life_of_a_slave_girl_se/chapters/xl-the-fugitive-slave-law)

The new Mrs. Bruce, an American with aristocratic background but a hearty dislike of slavery. She becomes a true friend to Linda and risks imprisonment and fine to protect her.

### [Free at Last](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/incidents_in_the_life_of_a_slave_girl_se/chapters/xli-free-at-last)

Purchases Linda's freedom and provides emotional and practical support.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/incidents_in_the_life_of_a_slave_girl_se/characters/mrs_bruce
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/incidents_in_the_life_of_a_slave_girl_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/incidents_in_the_life_of_a_slave_girl_se/characters