Category: Uncle Tom’s Cabin

The book, Uncle Toms Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe has a strong thematic concern of antislavery with regards to compassion, inhumanity, and cruelty. The story puts its focus on a black slave who suffers for quite a long time due to his ethnic background. Uncle Tom faces lifes reality in a harsh environment where slaves are seen as mere losers. He is an intelligent man and his honesty cannot be overlooked.

Tom is bought as a slave by Mr. Shelby in Kentucky who is kind-hearted and treats him well. He is entrusted with many responsibilities such as finances and house dealings by Mr. Shelby, his master which he does not misuse or violate as Mr. Shelby states &Tom is an uncommon fellow; he is certainly worth that sum anywhere-steady, honest, capable, manages my whole farm like a clock (Stowe 3).

Uncle Toms Christian morals are evident which gains him favor from the master including freedom to be with his family in his cabin.

Tragically, Mr. Shelby owes the slave trader Haley, a debt which he has to clear. The only solution left is to render Uncle Tom as a ransom to clear his debt. Harley insists that he also has to take Elizas (Shelbys maid) son Harry, with him. Irrespective of Mr. Shelby being an affluent person as he owns estates and many horses, he chooses to sell Uncle Tom to settle debt.

The issue of giving out Harry and Uncle Tom triggers a controversy. Eliza opposes his sons departure and runs away with harry where she hooks up with George, who is her husband owned by a separate master.

George had escaped hard work he was being subjected to. Harley puts effort to gain hold of Eliza it is fruitless as other slaves of Mr. Shelby sabotage and confuse him the direction to follow in order not to get hold of Eliza. Meanwhile, she has managed to evade Harley by disappearing on the other side of the river and to Canada with the help of strangers.

This is in the pursuit of freedom which is the right of every individual irrespective of his or her ethnicity. Harley re-strategize by sending slave catchers to look for Eliza and his son as he goes back to Mr. Shelby to take uncle Tom who follows submissively due to his Christian morals and since he is aware that the other slaves might also be sold if the debt is not settled.

Harley has plans to sell him at the far south away from his family which suffer due to his departure because they are aware that he will end up dying of being overworked.

All the same, he might be bought by a good master who would appreciate his intelligence and award him for it. Together, they navigate the Mississippi river to New Orleans where they along the way, they witness a mother who commits suicide by jumping overboard due to his sons departure with slave traders.

It is through the journey that Eva, a daughter of a rich man (Augustine St. Clare) is saved by Uncle Tom when she drops overboard where he gains a favor and is acquired to become a horse-driver. Augustine St. Clare dislikes slavery although he cannot openly oppose it alone not even with the help of his wife who despises slaves.

He has a wife whom they dont get along well as he got her after facing denial from the family of the one he loved. Following Augustine St. Clare and his daughters death, Tom is sold to a cruel, master fiendish Simon Legree the owner of a cotton plantation where he is brutally beaten and eventually dies (Stowe 411).

In conclusion, the book portrays the immoral attributes that arise as a result of slavery, Christianity as a source of consolation and the relevance of the right to motherhood.

The slaves are treated as having no feelings but the book points out that they are capable of having those feelings when they suffer and should therefore not be mistreated just as Christianity points out. The author emphasizes the relevance of personal freedom which is denied to the slaves and therefore discusses slavery from an abolitionist perspective.

Works Cited

Stowe, Harriet. Uncle Toms Cabin. New York: Barnes & Noble Books. 2003. Print.

Introduction

Ranked among the all-time famous female American writers, Harriet Beecher Stowe was born in 1811 in Litchfield, Connecticut. The platform for her literary achievements was laid by Stowes interaction with her learned aunt Harriet Foote who instilled in her ward the value of deep thinking and cultural beliefs. It was the combination of two events that led to Stowes everlasting fame as a writer. Both took place in 1850. The first was Stowes first-hand interaction with African American slaves in Cincinnati. After several visits to them Stowe witnessed with her own eyes the abysmal plight of the slaves and the grossly unfair treatment meted out to them by Southern whites.

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The second event was the Fugitive Slave Act passed by Congress in 1850 that criminalized harboring or assisting runaway slaves; even to an impartial bystander the Act denoted a stamp of approval by Congress for the ongoing cruel and barbaric practice of slavery festering in the South. Both events combined to spark off tumultuous reactions in the creative writer that resulted in her publishing Uncle Toms Cabin in 1852.

The book was such a tremendous success that Stowe was emboldened to write The Key to Uncle Toms Cabin in 1853, and another anti-slavery novel Dred: A Tale of the Great Dismal Swamp in 1856. Harriet Beecher Stowe died in 1896, 6 years before the first film adaptation of Uncle Toms Cabin was made (Kirjastoc.sci.fi).

The basic theme of Harriet Beecher Stowes Uncle Toms Cabin is the evil of slavery. The novel concentrates on the character of protagonist Uncle Tom, an African-American slave. The tales of the novels other characters, ranging from his fellow slaves to slave owners, slave hunters and other white people, revolve around him. Against the background of buying and selling of slaves, the hard work they are forced to do, the inhuman, degrading treatment meted out to them, and the riches made from them by most of the whites in Southern United States, Stowes portrayal of slaves reveal the evil practice of slavery in all its harsh reality. Uncle Tom is a long-suffering but dutiful servant, loyal to those who own him.

He is a good and pious man, honest and faithful and Christian (Stowe, 406). Toms wife Chloe is a hard-working, jovial simpleton. Mammy {the best creature living (Stowe, 157)} constantly brims with kindness and affection. Sexual misconduct with female slaves is depicted by young black women Cassy and Emmeline, sex slaves of their white owner Simon Legree; Cassy, having being bought and sold several times earlier, was also sexually used by previous owners to bear children.

Slave children are mercilessly separated from their parents and sold to the highest bidder  like the many children of Cassy who becomes so distraught that she poisons one of her children rather than having to undergo the pain of separation again. Some slaves dare to undertake heroic deeds for the sake of their fellow slaves such as Eliza Harris who flees with her son Harry, making desperate leaps on blocks of ice (Stowe, 57) to cross River Ohio, her husband George Harris who shoots Tom Loker when he endangers his family, and Uncle Tom who prefers to die from merciless beating by Simon Legree and his overseers Sambo and Quimbo (Stowe, 383), rather than reveal the escape route of Cassy and Emmeline.

The barbarity of slavery is well depicted in events featuring slave traders, slave hunters and slave owners. Slave traders like Mr. Haley and slave hunters like Tom Loker are ruthless individuals who have a simple motto: Treat em [blacks] like dogs (Stowe, 100). The remorseless cruelty of most slave owners is epitomized by Simon Legree, the glaring, greenish-eyed (Stowe, 314) vicious master of Tom whose barbaric treatment of slaves spawns violence and hatred among them.

The callousness of most white women is depicted in the character of Marie St. Claire, shown as a self-centered, petty and foolish woman who haughtily declares: [As if} Mammy could love her dirty little [black] babies as I love Eva (Stowe, 162). The hypocrisy of several whites who sympathize with blacks but are hesitant to air their views openly for fear of endangering businesses and high-profile jobs is depicted by Arthur Shelby and Augustine St. Claire who hesitate because they run lucrative slave plantations, and Senator John Bird who hesitates because there are public interests involved (Stowe, 75)}.

Stowe also shows true sympathizers of the suffering slaves among the Southerners. Emily Shelby is a morally virtuous woman who does her best to help her husbands slaves. Mary Bird is another virtuous woman who tries to better the lives of slaves, even daring to go against the law by aiding and abetting the escaping Eliza and her son (Stowe, 74), defiantly declaring: Nobody shall hurt you here, poor woman (Stowe, 77).

Ophelia St. Claire overcomes her initial prejudice against blacks, and eventually looks upon them as equal human beings, even going to the extent of teaching the slave girl Topsy to read (Stowe, 244). Eva is an angelic child, a totally moral human being who in her innocence sees no difference between whites and slaves. George Shelby has a kind heart and steely determination, who acts on his principles. After the death of Uncle Tom, George grants freedom to all the slaves on his Kentucky plantation: You are now free men and free women. I shall pay you wages for your work, such as we shall agree on (Stowe, 406).

Conclusion

In conclusion, the impact of the novels basic theme was so pronounced that the book is credited with having a huge effect on the existing attitude towards slavery in the U.S., not only among non-slave owning Northerners, but also among abolitionist Southerners .

Stowes book is widely credited with having fuelled sectional conflict that ultimately culminated in the American Civil War. This view was vindicated when U.S. President Abraham Lincoln famously commented upon meeting Stowe: So this is the little lady who made this big war (Kirjasto.sci.fi).

In my opinion, Stowes novel ranks among the all-time great anti-slavery books ever published. Not only does it lays bare the stark realities of slavery at its barbaric worst, but the manner in which this is done  with poignant simplicity and down-to-earth realism  contributes hugely to the novels unprecedented appeal to readers of all ages and in different time periods. Uncle Toms Cabin is one of the rare evergreen books that will never lose its appeal.

While it is no coincidence that the book earned the formidable reputation as the best selling novel of the 19th century, as well as the best selling book of the same century, it certainly is a coincidence that there is such a close link with the Bible because Stowe has gone on record to declare that she got divine inspiration to write her record-breaking book: I could not control the story, the Lord himself wrote it (Kirjasto.sci.fi).

References used

• Harriet Beecher Stowe (1891-1896). Kirjasto. 2002. Web.
• Stowe, Harriet Beecher. Uncle Toms Cabin. U.K: Wordsworth Editions Ltd. 1999.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin is a world-renowned novel that has changed how the world perceived slavery. This text was considered to be the first best-selling work as it was said to have outsold the bible when it first was published. It was even alleged to be the leading event to the American civil war as Benjamin Franklin said to Stowe in their first meeting. But as well as it being quite infamous, it has also caused a great deal of controversy. Furthermore, the writer was accused of misdescribing slaves throughout the novel as a weak, defenseless, and submissive people with insensible sympathy towards their masters and that their ambitions surround white people and stop there, as if the world beyond the plantations, where they worked, was non-existent. This text is racist due to the way racial stereotypes were created by Stowe, as well as her portrait of African American slaves as people whose aspirations were limited to pleasing the Caucasian race and only that, and that they took great pride in serving them like it was the sole purpose of their being, the second reason for it to be a racist text is how in the midst of the story, a certain meeting took place and Stowe described two girls, a white and a slave, of the same age very discriminatorily.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin is a racist text for many reasons. The first one has to be the racial stereotype that Stowe endowed in the text. She drew an extremely frail picture of African Americans at that time. As Arthur Riss claimed that “critics cited Stowe’s obvious use of racial stereotypes condemned her as a racist and declared that Stowe’s belief in inherent racial characteristics is tainted, perhaps even wholly negated” (Riss,1994). Riss also stated that “the sincerity and the value of Uncle Tom’s Cabin’s manifest antislavery politics. In probably the most scathing attack on the novel’s racial stereotypes, J.C Furnas in Goodbye to Uncle Tom argues that Uncle Tom’s Cabin is intrinsically “racist propaganda” and that their effect “strengthens racist ideas” Here, Riss explains how he believes that this text has congested modern goodwill and that it influenced a lot of the delusions surrounding African Americans that still haunt us today. This work is filled with bigoted ideologies such as the slaves being completely obedient to their masters even when it meant physical and emotional abuse to them, like when Tom got a lashing in chapter 36, instead of being angry or upset, he took it with tolerance and seemed unbothered by it; instead of seeking revenge, he saw it as a quicker way to get to heaven. According to Stowe, this was his reaction,

Mas’r Legree (sic), as ye bought me, I’ll be a true and faithful servant to ye. I’ll give ye all the work of my hands, all my time, all my strength; but my soul I won’t give up to mortal man (sic). I will hold on to the Lord, and put his commands before all, – die or live; you may be sure on ‘t. Mas’r Legree(sic), I ain’t (sic) a grain afeard to die. I’d as soon die as not. Ye may whip me, starve me, burn me, – it’ll only send me sooner where I want to go. (Stowe,1852).

He did not show a single grain of resistance nor rebellion towards his master, not throughout his torture and not even afterward. Moreover, the slaves in the story are very much helpless, as their only savior in this work is God. In one particular part, when Tom was conversing with the wealthy woman, he stated, ‘Well, then, I will die!’ said Tom. ‘Spin it out as long as they can, they can’t help my dying, some time! – and, after that, they can’t do no more. I’m clar (sic), I’m set! I know the Lord’ll(sic) help me, and bring me through.” Their only reliance was on religious beliefs, and their despair was evident in that statement where he stated that the only salvation he’ll get is when he dies, which lets on a lot of misery.

Another prominent reason why Uncle Tom’s Cabin is considered to be a racist text is that when St. Clare brought in Topsy, a nine-year-old slave was brought into Ophelia’s house, who had a daughter of the same age, she was described as an almost demonic creature. The horrid description went on like so,

Her woolly hair was braided in sundry little tails, which stuck out in every direction. The expression of her face was an odd mixture of shrewdness and cunning, over which was oddly drawn, like a kind of veil, an expression of the most doleful gravity and solemnity. She was dressed in a single filthy, ragged garment, made of bagging; and stood with her hands demurely folded before her. Altogether, there was something odd and goblin-like about her appearance, – something, as Miss Ophelia afterwards (sic) said, ‘so heathenish. (Stowe,1852).

An innocent child was described as a heathen, goblin-like, devilish being. On other occasions she was also name-called by Mr. St Clare, “Come here, Topsy, you monkey,’ said Mr. St. Clare.”. But the biggest distinction between Topsy and Eva showed just how racist this novel is because it goes on to display just how different they are as a result of slavery and racism,

There stood the two children representatives of the two extremes of society. The fair, high-bred child, with her golden head, her deep eyes, her spiritual, noble brow, and prince-like movements; and her black, keen, subtle, cringing, yet acute neighbor. They stood the representatives of their races. The Saxon, born of ages of cultivation, command, education, physical and moral eminence; the Afric (sic), born of ages of oppression, submission, ignorance, toil ,and vice!

As shown in the previous quote, the white child is considered a superior, she is named beautiful “high-bred” just because of her skin color, and Caucasian features, when the black child is seen as a mark of oppression, dehumanization, and subordinance.

To conclude, this text is provocative because of the typecasts made up by Stowe. Furthermore, her interpretation of enslaved African Americans is extremely ill and misconducted. She also limits their minds by ridiculing their purpose in life and making them lesser than. The differentiation between the two races is very much clear, and the pro-slavery mindset is reflected throughout the story in many encounters. And for those reasons, Uncle Tom’s Cabin is in fact, a racist text.

The novel “Uncle Toms Cabin” by Harriet Beecher Stowe she writes one of the most inspiring novels of all-time. This novel exposes the cultural misconceptions of early America. This novel was written to fight against slavery at its peak in the 1850’s. Through this novel we receive a first hand view of what life was truly like in the slave states. The essays main idea is about slavery, but if you dive in deeper you can argue that it may also be about religion. Religion was a huge part of the livelihood of Stowe because it was prominent in her family. The novel proves the dysfunction of slavery and religion. This idea of the two seems simple for anyone to recognize. Slave owners were still Christians like there slaves, yet they still bathed in their sin. Harriet Beecher Stowe writes this beautiful novel that is firmly against slavery, but she struggles to mention how to fix the tension that has been built up. In this essay, it discusses how Harriet Beecher Stowe is not able to fix the tensions of slavery and Christianity, but rather just simply point the incompatibility out in her novel.

The overall outcome of this novel has always been positive for the readers. The novel itself is wonderfully written. It dives in deep to huge cultural problems that are never easy to discuss in any context, plus in the time period Stowe completed this novel. In the article “Articulating Uncle Tom’s Cabin” by Jim Loughlin it explains “Uncle Tom’s Cabins ‘a wonderful ‘leaping’ fish’ that suddenly appeared and was able to ‘fly anywhere’ through different media” (573). This is an outstanding way to describe this novel because of the diverse meanings throughout the text. The levels of journey that Tom accounts all have wonderfully put meanings and ideas. O’Loughlin also discusses that “the complex and sometimes contradictory series of reactions, restaging’s, and parodies hold the key to the significance of the popularity of Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Its popularity quickly would have waned with shifts in the political and cultural landscape” (573). The novel’s success over the years has been on a wild rollercoaster because of the shifts in the political arena. The views of America have shifted drastically since the time this book was written. The idea of the drastic change in point of view, may be true, but society is still faced with the same issues today as we were during the slavery era. That raises the question, why are we still playing in the same old dirt as we were in close to 200 years ago. America in general has experienced many hardships, but the one that seems to stick out more than others is how to stop racism. This is the age long question that we still try to find answers to this day. Harriet Beecher Stowe definitely offers up answers to this question in her novel. The obvious answer throughout the novel can be pointed to Christianity, or religion in general.

Stowe’s novel delivers a strong depiction of slavery that also gives a view of religious beliefs in this time period. The novel consists of a story that is full of heartbreak and anguish. Tom the main character of the novel experience hardships that may seem unforgivable to many. The story starts off with Tom living in Kentucky as a slave with a family. His family live comfortable for the most part, with a decent slave owner. This all changed very fast when the owner Mr. Shelby had to sell Tom always to pay debts he had amounted. This was the beginning of a long painful journey for Tom. Tom when he was sent off was bought by St. Clare, who was convinced by his daughter almost drowning to purchase him. Tom grew a great friendship with Eva where they were able to share their Christian beliefs. This was found to be weird in this time period because blacks were seen as lesser people. Eva later on gets ill and dies from an illness. She wanted her father (St. Clare) to free the slaves when he died. He was later murder and wasn’t able to free Tom of slavery. The lone widowed wife and mother now decided to sell Tom to Legree. Legree turned out to be an awful slave owner who would brutally beat his slaves. He eventually beats Tom to death. Throughout the long journey of Tom, he somehow remained faithful to his religion.

Firstly, Tom is the definition of a strong patient human being. His patience is a strong virtue that he learns from his religious beliefs. Tom is blessed with a family that he loves dearly. Stowe’s idea of Tom’s family seems to be a very comfortable situation for them to live in as slaves. In the article “Necessary Perspectives on Uncle Tom’s Cabin” by Jocelyn Chadwick it explains that “Stowe’s novel emphasizes a gentle, innocent, child-like nature of slaves, their ready embracing of Christianity, their need for the guidance and care of their benevolent masters. Tom and his wife, Chloe, accept their enslavement and therefore also accept their own dehumanization and minimization” (pg. 18). The fact that many slaves needed to survive they enlisted the help of the owners. They didn’t know any better or who to trust. They were sent to this new country with no representation except for there little knowledge they have acquired. This idea of being content in the issues involving race and religion seems to be fine with the slaves. This couldn’t be said for all slaves because many would try there best to escape through the underground railroad. This was a definitely a way to rebel against slavery as a whole. Religion has a major role in the novel as we can see that Stowe makes it a point to mention them throughout her novel.

Additionally, the novel portrays some of the slave owners as decent people and not the stereotypical one. This can’t be said for all of the slave owners as the intentions of slave owners can be documented as inhumane to many. In the novel it seemed that some slaves seemed fortunate to have a home and food offered to them. It must have been a positive for them instead of being homeless and hungry. For obvious reasons, the slaves had every right to feel the pain. In the article “Repairing the Ladder to Heaven: Harriet Beecher Stowe’s The Minister’s Wooing as a Secular Novel” by Wilkes explains that “In the Minister’s Wooing, Stowe wrestles with Puritan theology, especially doctrines about salvation and damnation. She depicts characters modifying their ideas about God based on their experiences” (437). The slaves have experienced the worse things possible that no human should ever have to endure. Slaves have the right to change their views about God because of the way they have been treated. This is just a common human response to the horrific period of time they were stuck in. Stowe doesn’t have any those concepts in her novel. Tom seems to greatly appreciate God and Christianity in general. Tom truly shows the decision to respect God’s wish to be patient and believe in His word. There doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with his strong beliefs.

Secondly, the novel Stowe has created includes a strong religious aspect about it. Religion seems to be a distraction to the slaves. It gave many slaves hope in these harsh times they were experiencing. It only makes since that Tom was a huge believer and devoted his life to serving God. The author Curtis Evans explains “Although Stowe draws upon Paul’s dictum (I Cor. 1:26–29) that God chooses the lowly of the world to accomplish his purposes (especially in her use of Eva, a little white child, and Uncle Tom, a lowly black slave), she never resolves the tension between grace and race in her novel” (500). Stowe, in her knowledge of the Bible, believes that the slaves are the lowly group of people that will work out Gods purpose the way He intended. This may well in fact be a commonality in this time period because of there dedication to Christianity. This offers the view point that slaves are fulfilling their religious belief and practice from their ethnicity. Evans now offers up an Important question “If race or biology is the reason for different responses to the divine, what point is there in urging people to change when they are, in fact, according to this reasoning, acting out of their racial impulses or instincts?” (500) If this is the case then slavery wouldn’t be seen as a bad thing to certain religious groups who support it. This idea of racial impulse corresponding with religion is definitely the basis of think that its correct to own people. Stowe in the novel point of view can be mistakenly identified for the wrong idea. This may lead to even more tension between religions and their opposing views.

To Continue, the theme of the entire story seems to be loosely fitted around racism, and more around religion. The identification of this seems to be obvious since Stowe had a strong background in religion in general. The subject of religion seems to be prominent throughout the whole novel, which Stowe argues people of faith should have some idea of feeling the inhumane torture they are afflicting on African Americans. The character Lucy jumps off the pages and screams, interesting character to the reader. Lucy enters the novel in the latter half of it, which she is faced with the barbaric slave owner Legree. Lucy is filled with depression from the harsh living conditions of being a slave. Her desire to push on and stay strong in this horrific environment is fading at a fast pace. In the article by Hochman it explains “Stowe’s representation of Lucy complicates two common themes of the period: optimism about God’s design and fortitude in the face of necessity” (144). This is important to note because this seems to be her main argument that represents her entire story. The world they lived in seemed to be a fluke because that couldn’t possibly be what God had in store for blacks. The religious aspect of Stowe’s life is strong and I believe she did a great job incorporating it into her novel.

Thirdly, the racism in this novel is different from todays racism. The slaves were all degraded and put in lower classes because they were of color. The racism throughout the novel was nothing surprising that you would see in this time period. Having slaves was a normality that was experienced for many growing up. Its not that people thought it was right, they just didn’t know any better. This was very apparent in the novel with Tom. In the article “Uncle Tom’s Cabin in the National Era” by Barbara Hochman explains that “Stowe may have felt that the story of slavery was “told too often” to bear repeating, but she was still impelled to publish her own version of the tale” (144). This truly explains the way that Stowe goes about writing this Novel. The norm of the material being introduced to public were definitely point out factors that could stop slavery. They also like to make the slave owners has the awful people, which Stowe took a different route. Hochman also mentions that “Stowe wanted her readers to see slavery with new eyes” (144). The same material that was being released throughout each year was not making any progress on the forefronts of slavery. The new eyes focused on slavery could be classified as a different view on why slavery is seen as a negative connotation. This only gets fresh new perspectives on slavery; which Stowe was striving for.

Additionally, the idea of new racism is difficult to conceptualize, but is still relevant. We see that over the years with the necessary change that has been occurring to fix this country has evolved the term racism. Racism in general is an awful and unnecessary in this country and should have never been a problem that we encountered. In the article “Old-Fashioned Racism and New Forms of Racial Prejudice” by Virtanen explains that “One factor that emerges consistently from the various definitions of symbolic or new racism is the emphasis on whites’ belief that blacks are unwilling to help themselves and are, therefore, undeserving of government assistance” (312). The idea of every changing new ways to find a way to hate a group of people seems to be getting very old in this time period. The term is never going to stop evolving with the times until we just love each other. Slaves were put in a situation of working in fields with the blistering sun all day long. They were pushed to the threshold of exhaustion everyday repeatedly. The times of slavery relates to racism now, as Virtanen points to the new stereotypical racism that “The central focus in the new racism on stereotypes that portray African Americans as unwilling to work hard has received considerable empirical support in recent studies of whites’ racial policy preferences” (312). Racism has truly evolved because people love to point out what is wrong with a group of people, other than what’s right. People in general, have a tendency to aim for the weaknesses of certain ethnic groups. This is always part of political arguments, which always gets out of hand for everyone. The fact is we should love all no matter the ethnicity or beliefs. In 1 Peter, Peter explains that “And above all things have fervent love for one another, for love will cover a multitude of sins” (New King James Version 1 Peter 4:8). The love that God has given the world always seems to be thrown on the back burner. Society throughout time has taken love for granted for so long. The abundance of sins in this treacherous world is overwhelming. The thought that everyone can be forgiven in this world is the reason to keep believing in this world.

As a result, the novel “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” is a novel of hope. The meaning of this word is a strong component of human civilization. People grasp on to hope with every last effort. In the article “Hope” by Neville Callam explains “To hope is confidently to affirm, in the conviction that ultimately good will triumph over evil, that the sphere of hope which will be realized extends beyond the present age. Hope is stronger than death” (139). This quote truly shows that hope prevails in any human being with any circumstances. The hope certainly is contributed from any slaves’ religious beliefs. Slaves had to endure a long terrible road, but never seemed to lose their faith in God. He provided the love necessary for the slaves to perceiver through many of the hardships that no human being should ever go through. God is the hope that slaves needed to receive throughout the novel. In Psalms 147 it explains that “The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who hope in His mercy” (New King James Version Psalm 147:11). This verse speaks loudly to the virtue of hope. Hope seems to be very strong tool that God is able to utilize. Faith also seems to go hand in hand with hope. Both terms have a fearful aspect of them. They both force people to trust in something they can’t necessarily see themselves. This one last Bible verse truly sums the entirety of this essay in the view point of Tom. In 1 Corinthians it discloses that “And now abide faith, hope and love, these three; but the greatest of these is love” (New King James Version 1 Corinthians 13:13). This verse speaks loudly to the problem of racism. Love is the ultimate for of peace on this diverse world. As a society of racial issues, people must start loving each other instead of hatred.

The focus of this novel is to calmly point out the disastrous relationship between Christianity and slavery. Stowe proves through her novel that the two are not capable of co-existing in the same world. It just makes zero sense to have both so prominent in a community. The idea of love is profound throughout the bible and that cannot be found in slavery. This is just scratching the surface of how it contradicts each other. Christianity seem to hold Tom together through most of the story even the hardships he had to face. The new age of racism has only been altered to affect todays society. The fact that racism is still around to today is a horrifying thought. Uncle Tom’s Cabin was written about 170 years ago and may have contributed to many changes through political and cultural landscapes. Racism is still surviving through all of this time, but less and less each year. As Christians we must try our best to have love for everyone no matter the apparel we wear or the way we are perceived. The judgmental days must pass, so has a country people can truly enjoy each other with out being scared of how they or others act. This novel is a great way to show the secular side of the slave trade in the 1850’s and how it has change today. The defining moment for society should be the time we have found love for all our brothers and sister in Christ.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin, an infamous abolitionist novel, was written by Harriet Beecher Stowe and published on March 20, 1852. Stowe had an admirable stance on the abolition of slavery; she used her privilege as a White writer to detail the life of a slave to expose the evil acts of the Southerners and the complacency of the Northerners. The book follows the life of an enslaved man named Uncle Tom who was sold to several other slave owners, who each treated him differently. The book Uncle Tom’s Cabin showed the humanity of enslaved people and how atrocious and inhumane slavery was to persuade Americans to fight for its abolition.

Everything started during the nineteenth century in Kentucky on a plantation owned by Arthur and Emily Shelby. The Shelby’s accumulated crippling debt and were forced to sell their slaves. Eliza, Mrs.Shelby’s personal maid, overheard that her son Harry and Uncle Tom were the two slaves sold. Uncle Tom was an obedient servant, whom Mr. Shelby admired a lot. Eliza and her son ran to Uncle Tom’s cabin and warned him and attempted to persuade Uncle Tom to escape the plantation with them. However, Uncle Tom decided to remain faithful to the Shelby’s and stayed back, forcing Eliza and Harry to escape alone as they were being hunted by Haley. The two quickly crossed the Ohio River with her son over to the North Side where she received aid from the Senator and Ms. Bird; they eventually reunited with George, Eliza’s husband who also escaped. The reunited family continued their journey and received help from the Quakers, a religious group that provided aid to many slaves as they escaped to Canada.

Meanwhile, at Mr. Shelby’s plantation, Haley ceased his search for Eliza and Harry. Instead, he took Uncle Tom away from his wife and children, to sell him on the slave market. While on a boat en route to the slave market, Uncle Tom rescued a girl named Evangeline after she had fallen off the boat. To show Uncle Tom his gratitude, Evangeline’s father Augustine St.Clare purchased him and brought Uncle Tom to the St.Clare estate. At the St.Clare estate, Uncle Tom was treated well. He was especially close to Evangeline as the two bonded over their Christian beliefs. Ophelia, Evangeline’s cousin, was fully aware of the horrors of slavery but she still treated enslaved people with harsh prejudice, especially Topsy. Augustine was a Christian who was struggling with his faith.

However, after Eva’s death, Ophelia became more compassionate towards Topsy and other slaves, and Augustine became an abolitionist and sought freedom for the slaves. Augustine was later murdered and was unable to sign the papers that would have freed Uncle Tom. Marie, the wife of St.Clare, inherited Augustine’s entire state, including his slaves. She separated the slaves and sold them off. Uncle Tom, Emmeline who was a fifteen years old girl, and two other slaves were sold to a wicked plantation owner, Simon Legree. Emmeline was to replace Legree sex slave, Cassy back at his plantation. For the first time, Uncle Tom saw how the cotton plantation was filled with hatred and evil, from the plantation owners and enslaved people alike. Legree constantly pressured Uncle Tom into doing evil deeds but he did not oblige and would be punished for upholding his righteous beliefs.

Meanwhile, George, Eliza, and Harry successfully escaped to Canada and were freed. Back at Legree’s plantation, Cassy and Emmeline planned to escape from slavery. Uncle Tom was brought in by Legree to confess what he knows about their escape, being the kind person that Uncle Tom is, he would rather receive death than to give out and knowledge he has about the escape. George Shelby, the son of Mr. Shelby, came to the plantation and saw Uncle Tom on the verge of death. The death of Uncle Tom inspired George Shelby to free all of his slaves in his plantation in Kentucky and pay them for their work. George wanted Uncle Tom’s cabin to serve as a memorial for Uncle Tom and remembrance of freedom to the slaves.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin is an amazing book that is definitely admired by many. It was filled with sentimental parts that made the readers have an emotional feeling and were able to demonstrate the types of people slaves encountered. This book was filled with unfamiliar words, but as readers keep reading the diction became more understandable after using context clues. Slaves experience many hardships, from being torn apart from their families to tolerating wicked owners. Many families were forced to split, the death of the characters was devastating, and the injustice that slaves went through were unforgiving. This time in history should never be forgotten; it should always be known.

As early as the fifteenth century, Europeans came to Africa and enslaved many. Soon after, Europeans discovered America and took control of the indigenous people. In both Africa and America, Europeans colonized the land while raped and eradicated the natives. In America, the southern states were based on agriculture and because of this, the south was dependent on slaves for cheap and free labor. In Uncle Tom’s Cabin, readers can see how many Southerners sold slaves because they were considered to be property and only a means of producing more to benefit the colonizers.

Depending on where the states were and how much they relied on cheap and free labor, states viewed slavery differently. Many of the citizens livng in the northern states did not agree with the system of slavery but they remained complacent and silent about abolition. Stated in the book, “A day of grace is yet held out to us. Both North and South have been guilty before God (Stowe 45).” Throughout Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Christianity was always being brought up. Uncle Tom continuously thought about his moral and faith in God when he goes through horrible situations. As George says to the rest of his slaves he set free, “Think of your freedom, every time you see Uncle Tom’s Cabin; and let it be a memorial to put you all in mind to follow in his steps, and be as honest and faithful and Christian as he was. (Stowe 44).” The characters that turn towards religion either take it as their moral responsibility or as something to justify their actions. Uncle Tom’s Cabin shows both sides of how Christianity was used to justify a person’s devious actions or a person’s good morals. This may be one of the reasons many readers believe that Uncle Tom’s Cabin is a great piece of writing because the story integrates multiple points of views. Uncle Tom’s Cabin is definitely a great piece of work for anybody who would want to walk in the shoes of an enslaved person during the nineteenth century.

As slavery existed in America during the mid-19th century. The continuous acts of mistreatment happened amongst the slaves by white owners. There were slaves like Eliza and George who runs away from slavery to seek freed, while there are other slaves similar to Uncle Tom who obey their slave owners. Eliza, Harry, and George went up North and received aid by many abolitionists. As for Uncle Tom, he continuously goes deeper into the South where there are slave owners who act immorally towards their slaves. Through Christian beliefs and faith, Uncle Tom knew his morals and stood by them to get through any difficult situation. Characters often would make remarks about Uncle Tom’s kind demeanor saying he is a “man who, in cold nights, would give up his tattered blanket to add to the comfort of some woman who shivered with sickness, and who filled the baskets of the weaker ones in the field, at the terrible risk of coming short in his own measure (Stowe 38).”

Uncle Tom stuck to his moral principles and demonstrated them to others. Uncle Tom and his cabin served as a symbol of freedom and a person who endured slavery through his strong Christian faith. Slavery was an immoral and vicious system that those who were enslaved faced. A person with righteous morals will have a sense of rightful doing and treatments towards the slaves, while those who contain evil in them would do horrible acts. Today, these good people should fight for Black Lives Matter and fight against police brutality and the prison industrial system, which continues to mistreat and enslave black and brown people.

Work Cited

1. Stowe, Harriet Beecher, 1811-1896. Uncle Tom’s Cabin. London :J. Cassell, 1852.
2. Ponti, Crystal. “America’s History of Slavery Began Long Before Jamestown.” Google, Google, 14 Aug. 2019, Nwww.google.com/amp/s/www.history.com/.amp/news/american-slavery-before-jamestown-1619.
3. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 4 May 2020, www.britannica.com/topic/Uncle-Toms-Cabin.
4. McRae, Matthew. “The Story of Slavery in Canadian History.” CMHR, 2019, humanrights.ca/story/the-story-of-slavery-in-canadian-history.
5. History.com Editors. “Slavery in America.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 12 Nov. 2009, www.history.com/topics/black-history/slavery.

‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’ was born in the 1950s and is known as one of the fuses that triggered the American Civil War. The book is about the sin and immorality of slavery, and it is thought-provoking. If you want to understand the slavery of the United States, the novel must not be missed. The work is the reaction of the times. First, the author’s background in the era gave her the inspiration for her creation. Mrs. Stowe (1811-1896) was born in Connecticut, an American writer and abolitionist. She lived in Cincinnati for 18 years and experienced there. A fugitive life, which laid the foundation for the creation of the novel. Secondly, his family is an active abolitionist, and she naturally became one of them. Finally, and most importantly, is the country’s environment. In the 1930s, slavery was a deeply protected system, especially in the southern states of the United States, when a quarter of southerners had slaves and slave owners Most of the property, more obviously, was in the middle of the 19th century, when the United States passed a law, the Law on the Runaway Slave, which prohibited the slaves from escaping in the form of law. The offenders will be punished by law, and at the same time, the fugitives and freedom. The restrictions on the rights of black people can be said that the development of slavery is increasingly ‘prosperous.’ In this context, Mrs. Stowe expressed deep sympathy for the tragic life of the slave, and she decided to present what she had heard in the form of words, so that the novel was born.

The novel uses the way of interspersed rotation to describe the different encounters of the black slaves. The more obvious is the contrast between the masters Tom and the Elisa.

The master, Tom, is a tough Christian slave who treats the content of the Bible as the highest faith at all times. As the steward in Shelby’s manor, he is hardworking, loyal and kind, and is very popular among the people in the manor. The Shelby family is also very generous and kind, and he is very good, especially the young Master George likes Uncle Tom. Later, Shelby lost the stock speculation and the bill fell into the hands of the slave trader Heili. He had to sell his slave to him to pay the debt, and Haley happened to hit Tom. Since then, Tom’s life has turned. Tom met the kind little girl Eva on the ship carrying the slave. When Eva fell into the river, Tom saved her. To thank him, Eva asked his father, St. Clair, to buy Tom from the hands of the slave trader and brought Tom to his home in New Orleans. During this period, Tom and Eva became intimate because they were convinced of Christianity. After Tom lived with St. Clair for two years, Eva got seriously ill. Before she died, she dreamed of heaven in a dream, and she told the dream to the people around her. Because of Eva’s death and her dreams, others decided to change their lives: St. Clair promised to give Tom freedom. Before St. Clair fulfilled his promise, he was stabbed to death by a hunting knife for intervening in a battle. St. Clair’s wife refused to fulfill her husband’s promise of life and sold Tom to a vicious farmer, Simon Legg, at an auction. Legry (he is not a native-born Southerner, but an immigrant from the North) brought Tom to the Louisiana countryside. Tom met other Legge slaves here, including Emily (Legry bought her at the same auction) and Cathy. Cathy was forced to be separated from her children when she was auctioned; she killed her third child because she couldn’t bear the pain of another child being betrayed. When Tom refused to obey Legry’s orders to whipping his slave companions, Legry began to hate him. Tom suffered a cruel lash. Legry is determined to crush Tom’s faith in God. But Tom refused to stop reading the Bible and did his best to comfort other slaves. He encouraged Cathy to escape and let her take Emilion. When Tom refused to tell Le Gregory and Emilion where to flee, Legry ordered his supervisor to kill Tom. When he was dying, Tom forgave the two supervisors to brutally beat him: by the inspiration of his character, both of them converted to Christ.

The Elisas are two characters in contrast to Tom. Ilha is the maid of Mrs. Shelby, very loved by her wife. When she learned that her master was going to sell her child to the trafficker, Haley, she chose to escape. And his husband, George Harris, was smart and witty. He was a slave to another farmer. He was abused by his master for a long time. He fled to Canada to find freedom for himself. Later, Ilhasha and her husband reunited on the way to escape. The family fled to Canada together and ushered in their victory. When the Georges arrived in Canada, the author’s description was impressive: they didn’t have a single inch of land in this new place, there wasn’t a house, some were just birds flying in the sky and blue sky, but they But they are very excited, they never feel richer than they are now.

At the end of the novel, Shelby’s son, Master George, came to look for Tom, but had to accept the fact that Tom had been killed by Legry. He was very sad. He returned home and liberated all his slaves, slaves. They are not willing to leave his estate. He said: ‘You can not leave me. There are still many people in the manor to work. The servants are also needed in the main house. But you are all free people now. According to our agreement, I pay for your labor. The good thing is that once I am in debt, or if I die — both of these things can happen, you won’t be taken to be slaves by others.’ Ending in such a way gives the reader great comfort. . In fact, it can be seen that the author used the mouth of Master George to point out a direction for the abolition system in a certain sense.

After reading the novel, the readers sighed for the fate of each character. Some people think that in the process of Tom’s several changes to the Lord, he always dedicated his service to the owner, insisted on his kindness, and even pinned the ravages on the healing of the Bible, which bought a foreshadowing of his life tragedy. Under the oppressive system of the cruel system, it is often reluctant to accept, and the fate of the characters who dare not resist is the most tragic. Others think that he is loyal and tolerant, kind and fraternal, and sincere and tenacious. Although his life ended in tragedy, his influence changed the fate of countless people. The little master George, Shelby liberated all the slaves under his death after he died, and educated the slaves how to use their freedom to dominate their own destiny. Kathy, who was tortured by destiny and lost hope of survival, struggled to find hope for survival under the influence of Uncle Tom, and led Emilion, who led the same fate, to escape from the vicious slave owners, find their children, and get a good ending. Although the vicious slave master Le’s did not allow Tom to succumb to his arrogance, he tortured him to death, but he could not get rid of Tom’s shadow until he died.

The Georges dare to resist the reality and dare to pursue freedom for themselves. This is why their fate is different from the master Tom. If there is oppression, there should be resistance.

The whole novel is sorrowful, touched, cruel, and gratifying. It has been loved by readers since its publication. The reprint of the first edition has played a major role in inspiring the anti-slavery sentiment of the people. It has also been translated into various languages. Publishing abroad has also had a major impact on the abolitionist movements in other parts of the world. Lincoln said that ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’ is a book that led to a great war. It did lead to a war, and it is remarkable. Good literary works must stand the test of time. If you just want to know the history of slavery in the past, then read ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’.

A story that made an impact on history and influenced the civil war by showing the difference in treatment of people of color in the northern and southern states. It gave the north a front row seat to all the wickedness of southern slavery. This story formed human characters out of slaves who were treated like they were inhuman. Stowe showed that all humans have souls and should not be possessed by other humans, because we were all created to be equal. The point of Uncle Toms Cabin was to make people aware of how sinful slavery was, but more so how bad it was in the south and to influence everyone away from that way of life completely. I think Stowe felt that not everyone was pro-slavery and after reading this book maybe a change would come or those in power would do something and a movement would start.

In Uncle Tom’s Cabin Stowe gave two depictions of a slave, one slave running north for freedom with her child and one being sold and his struggles during that time. Even though the north symbolizes freedom to slaves in the south Stowe showed that everyone needed to change. ‘You would think no harm in a child’s caressing a large dog, even if he was black; but a creature that can think, and reason, and feel, and is immortal, you shudder at; confess it, cousin. I know the feeling among some of you northerners well enough. Not that there is a particle of virtue in our not having it; but custom with us does what Christianity ought to do, —obliterates the feeling of personal prejudice. I have often noticed, in my travels north, how much stronger this was with you than with us. You loathe them as you would a snake or a toad, yet you are indignant at their wrongs. You would not have them abused; but you don’t want to have anything to do with them yourselves.” (Stowe, 215) I interpreted this as the north may not abuse slaves like the south, but they still treat them like they are lesser than them. I felt like it’s saying although we abuse our slaves in the south, we allow them in our homes and around our families. This shows just how bad of situation this was to belittling abuse to hatred of someone that’s different from you can even be associated. They were both a disgusting way of treating a human being. I think this was probably a conversation many had back then to make what they were doing feel okay to them. The author got her point across by using the characters in different ways. She made sure to give a diverse representation of slave owners and slaves, so we had a well-rounded view of the situation from all sides. There were characters like Legree, who were the epitome of everything we needed to change in America. He would force his slaves to hurt one another and if they didn’t, they would pay the ultimate cost like Tom did. Then there were those who were kind in their own way but still treated people of color like an object to be sold like Mr. Shelby. He treated his slaves well but when he was in debt, he sold his slaves like furniture not knowing what the slaves would be walking into. He also broke up a family and broke promises. I think the author used St. Clare to show that not everyone approved of slavery, but they weren’t saying it. A conversation between St. Clare and Miss Ophelia about slavery made me see that not everyone was evil like Legree, but not everyone was brave enough to say it like Stowe. ‘It’s all nonsense to talk to me about slaves enjoying all this! To this day, I have no patience with the unutterable trash that some of your patronizing Northerners have made up, as in their zeal to apologize for our sins. We all know better. Tell me that any man living wants to work all his days, from day-dawn till dark, under the constant eye of a master, without the power of putting forth one irresponsible volition, on the same dreary, monotonous, unchanging toil, and all for two pairs of pantaloons and a it. I’d buy the dog, and work him, with a clear conscience!’ (Stowe, 278) I think the author used Eva as a pure soul to show this behavior wasn’t given at birth but taught. This little girl was kind to Tom and wanted him to be free. Even a child could see that this wasn’t right why couldn’t these adults. I believe the main character Uncle Tom was used as a representation of what they did to an obedient God-fearing slave. So, you can only imagine what they did to the ones that tried to run and talked back. I think this was what Harriet Beecher-Stowe wanted from her readers, for them to think about how they lie to themselves, how they know it’s wrong to enslave people.

This story is presented in a way that it doesn’t blame anyone it just shows slavery for what it is evil. I read that a lot of those in the south didn’t appreciate their depiction in the story. I think it was probably because they knew they were wrong, and they were finally getting called out and by a woman. This story is for everyone whites, blacks in both the north and south. Although Uncle Toms Cabin was fiction it exposed a truth that many didn’t want to confront, that the book depicted the treatment of slaves correctly and treating people like animals was sinful. If religion was the foundation of this time period slave owners weren’t living by Gods word. This wasn’t my first-time hearing about Uncle Tom, but it did make me understand why people interpret this character differently. I would hear people call others an uncle Tom but never knew the root of where it came from. I just knew it wasn’t a term of endearment. After reading this book I went back and forth on if it would be a compliment or not to be referred to as an uncle Tom. In Miriam-Webster dictionary, Uncle Tom is defined as “a black person who is overeager to win the approval of whites.” This could be why Uncle Tom is looked at as weak or a fool for loving his oppressors and becoming comfortable with being a slave. There are many people of color that believed Uncle Tom didn’t have any fight in him and was too submissive. In an article by Adena Spingarn, George Anthony McGuire of the Universal Negro Improvement Association stated, ‘the Uncle Tom nigger has got to go, and his place must be taken by the new leader of the Negro race…not a black man with a white heart, but a black man with a black heart.’ This view of Uncle Tom is what was thought to be keeping people of color as slaves because this type of slave didn’t even try to push to be treated like a human. Uncle Tom could also be looked at as a symbol of what one who loves Christ and follows his word should be like. He kept his passion and love for Christ within him until the very end. You’d have to ask yourself are you viewing this book as a Christian, if so then Uncle Tom should be an example of a man’s faith and love for Christ even through adversities.

Uncle Toms Cabin by Harriet Beachier Stowe uses sentimentalism in order to captivate her nineteenth century audience. She does this in order to cultivate an understanding and sympathetic viewpoint with her chosen audience. Uncle Toms Cabin utilizes sentimentalism in order to form an attachment with slaves. Throughout the novel you take each hardship the slaves have endured as your own, in doing this she uses sympathy and love crutch to hold up her own Christian views and show slavery must end. Harriet Beachier Stowe’s sentimentality throughout Uncle Toms Cabin is shown within the sympathy displayed by St. Clare, a Christian who silently rejects slavery, and by the death of Eva, in order to evoke an emotional response from her readers, and show that Christian love can overpower the evil that has come from slavery.

Stowe’s sentimentalism throughout Uncle Toms Cabin is driven by her desire to show that African Americans have the same soul as whites, and that if we are to let go of slavery we first must look at them as we do ourselves. Although St. Clare recognizes that slavery is inherently evil and unjust, he is not quite ready to admit he is one in the same with other masters. “…. when Christ should reign, and all the men should be happy and free …. Sometimes I think all this sighing, and groaning, and stirring among the dry bones foretells what she used to tell me was coming. But who may abide the day of His appearing?” (330–1). Here St. Clare shares what his mother once told him, that there will be a day when men are happy and free. St. Clare loves and cares for his slaves, however he is unable to connect to his slaves on a deeper level, because he does not see himself as one in the same with other slave masters.

Throughout the novel you see St. Clare turn into a new person—one whose sympathy and love guides him to the right choice. However, this sympathy comes after a great loss. You begin to see St. Clare truly sympathetic towards the salves once Eva dies. Eva is seen as a Christ like martyr. Her death echoed in the minds of many characters, including Ophelia and Topsy. St. Clare mourned Eva, however he mourned himself in her death as well. St. Clare realizes that within Eva’s death lies the death of his past self. He does not want to die as a sinner and realizes that resisting silently is not good enough anymore. St. Clare poses the same characteristics in which he frowned upon “‘that kind of benevolence which consists in lying on a sofa and cursing the church and clergy for not being martyrs and confessors’’ (446). Although he dies before he can act upon his new understanding and bond with the enslaved, he is shown as someone who has made up for his sins, and whose soul is now safe. According to Stowe, this means that he can go on to heaven, which is shown when he joyously remarks he is “coming HOME, at last!’’ (452). The underlying fear that accompanied St. Clare stemmed from the fear of judgment, which inspired his love for the slaves.

In killing St. Clare, Stowe wanted to encourage a great feeling of sympathy toward the slaves. She did this with St. Clare to show a relatable character turning over a new leaf. Stowe attempts to connect her audience with the slaves in Uncle Toms Cabin by using family and Christian religion. Here she attempted to close the gap between the audience and the salves, and show that blacks were a valuable asset, and could contribute to America as well as Whites could. She uses Eva and Toms bond to evoke an emotional response from the readers. When Eva is introduced in this novel she is described as an innocent child, who in theory represents the massacre in which slavery contributed to. Eva is one of the many who gradually die due to slavery. Stowe paints Eva’s presence as an angelic innocent girl. Stowe says “[Eva’s] form was the perfection of childish beauty…Her face was remarkable, less for its perfect beauty of feature than for a dreamy earnestness of expression, which made the idle start when they looked at her, and by which the dullest and most literal were pressed, without exactly knowing why” (Stowe 156, 158).

Eva is painted as a pure Christian, someone who is too Christ-like for any Christian to reject. In this description, she is met to be the image of an angel, someone whose light is shining throughout the darkness of this novel. Stowe uses Eva in order to evoke an anger from her audience. Little Eva dies, leaving the audience to mourn her, as she is another fallen angel that slavery has killed. Eva, who was Toms only hope dies young, and after the death of St. Clare, realizes he will not be free. Tom is a resilent man who overcomes each hardship that is thrown at him, because he follows gods words of “love thine enemies.” . Tom is seen as less of a fallen angel, and as more of an image of Christ. Tom is highly compliant in all of his endeavors. He is subservient in the aspect that he stays loyal to not only his family but the white men that enslaved him. Tom is described in the novel as a simple-feminized man, sincere, and childlike. He is described as a slave (whose characteristics are similar to Christ) who is “…large, broad-chested, power fully-made man, of a fully glossy black, and a face whose truly African features were characterized by an expression of grave and steady good sense, united with much kindliness and benevolence'( Stowe, 27).

Tom relies wholly on his faith to get him through the loss of his family and he ultimately sacrifices himself for his own faith. When Mr. Shelby is arranging the sale of Tom, he describes him as a passive fellow during his conversation with the slave trader Haley as follows; “Why, the fact is, Haley, Tom is an uncommon fellow, he is certainly worth that sub anywhere, –steady, honest, capable, manages my whole farm like a clock” (Stowe, 6). Tom is essentially described as a loyal man, who will not cheat nor be unfaithful to his master, for he loves Christ and his religion too much. Stowe uses Tom as an ideal sentimentalist character, and hopes that in showing his love for humanity, the audience will sympathize and feel a bond.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin was written in 1852 by Harriet Beecher Stowe. It was her first book which quickly became the bestseller of 19th century. In the first year more than 300,000 copies were sold but by the mid 1900’s the book was out of printing and returned back in 1960s for Civil Rights changes. The term “Uncle Tom” became an insult meaning a black man who subserves to white people. The book is about sufferings of an old African-American man experienced as a slave. At that time, African people were slaves and had much lower life level than white wealth people. In the book Tom belonged to a kind person Mr.Shelby who sold Tom because of Shelby’s debt. Then Tom belonged to Haley who was a slave trader and cared only about the money he can get from the slaves. On his trader ship Tom saved the young girl Eva that fell off the board and started drowning. Eva’s father- Mr.St Clair buys Tom out and Eva promised Tom his freedom but before he got it, Eva died just as her father. Mrs.St Clair sold Tom to a cruel man – Simon Lowry who whipped Tom to death because the one didn’t give the location of escapers.

Two main stories drive the plot of the novel: the escape of Eliza and George towards freedom and Uncle Tom’s story of slavery. By reading the book, it becomes noticeable that Stowe uses these two stories to show the difference of regions in America.The action in the escape story moves increasingly fast to the North with Canada as an endpoint, however, Tom’s story moves slowly far into the deepest South. Eliza and George succeeded in escaping from slavery into the North when Tom painfully was whipped to death in the South. The representation of these two regions was very accurate as the only escape from slavery was out of states, South was more cruel to slaves and North also wasn’t safe enough for slaves, as they did not have full freedom. So geography of this novel played a big role for slavery.

This book was based on slavery and racism. Mr.Shelby’s words: ‘I would rather not sell him, the fact is, sir, I’m a humane man, and I hate to take the boy from his mother, sir.’ are a direct evidence how even young children were slaves and could be easily separated from their parents (Uncle Tom’s Cabin, pg.5). Mr.Shelby tried to avoid separating the child from his mother but Haley convinced him to do so. In fact Haley’s argument was: ‘These critters ain’t like white folks, you know; they gets over things, only manage right.’ (Uncle Tom’s Cabin, pg.5). Before that Haley advised to buy some jewelry for the mother so she would feel better. So Mr.Haley’s thoughts are typical for that time, most of the people thought that Africans don’t feel about families and freedom the same way whites do but they were wrong. The only reason why Africans did not feel the same way was only because they did not know how it feels. Even Mrs.Shelby who was extremely kind to her slaves was a racist: ‘Tom is a noble-hearted, faithful fellow, if he is black’. According to her words, African- Americans could not be like Tom, they were seem as “no feelings tools” only, especially at the South (Uncle Tom’s Cabin, pg.32).

Big part of the novel consisted faith in God: “…if you only trust in God, and try to do right, he’ll deliver you.’, ‘O, George, we must have faith. Mistress says that when all things go wrong to us, we must believe that God is doing the very best.’ (Uncle Tom’s Cabin, pg.17). Faith is everything African-Americans have to survive slavery. In 19th century most of the people were Christians and for Africans it was very important to have faith because they believed that after death they will have their freedom: “but, after ye’ve killed the body, there an’t no more ye can do. And O, there’s all ETERNITY to come, after that!’ (Uncle Tom’s Cabin, pg.378).

Uncle Tom’s Cabin is a text written by Harriet Beecher Stowe’s. Basically, some might say that the text is racist and others might be anti-racist. In this specific essay, I will be giving out a few examples from the text stating my point of view which I think the text is racist. As stated in the text a farm owner named Arthur Shelby sells two slaves a man named Tom and a boy named Harry, to avoid losing his farm. When Harrys mother heard the new that’s her son will be sold, she decided to take him and runaway before all the selling thing happens. Meanwhile uncle Tom is taken and sold to New Orleans. Later on, the text continues with Uncle Tom with his slavery journey. The upcoming examples will show how racist will be rounding the text, and the treatment behind slavery with Uncle Tom.

Back then slaves racism, was spread all around the country, with time things started to get better and better causing slavery to not exist, but until this day we can see a few slaves, but not like the old days. To continue with Uncle Tom’s journey while he was on his way to New Orleans, Tom becomes a friend with a white girl named Eva and happen to be he saved her life. Eva’s father decided to buy Tom from the slave trader as a thank you for his heroic action to save his daughter. This type of action, where a white man was good to a slave, was a few people out there that happen to do it, it is good that Uncle Tom fell under him because at least he was treated good for two years.

Unfortunately, when Eva’s father died Tom was sold to a man named Simon Legree. While living with Legree, Tom meets Cassy and Emmeline, in which Tom encourages them to run away. When Legree asks Tom to tell him where they escaped, Tom refused to tell him where they we and unfortunately, he got killed by Legree. This shows how if slaves, didn’t do what they are told to, they can be easily killed by a silly action. No humanity was towards them by the white people, and unfortunately millions and billions of slaves were killed back then.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin was written during a time period in which the American Dream was not a reality for all Americans. During that specific time slavery was still very much a part of American society and economy. Black slaves were treated as less than a whole person, as pieces of property to be bought and sold. Another thing is that the American society at that time believed that people with dark skin were kind off of a lesser value than those with white skin.