Focus on Uncle Tom’s Cabin

The reason I choose the book Uncle Tom’s Cabin

The first time I read this book was in my senior high school. When I saw the name of this book, I thought it must be a book talked about an old man but kind and gracious. He may often tell some miracle and legend and other kinds of stories to the children around. However, as far as I read the introduction of the book, I extremely shocked by the miserable lives of the slaves, so I got this book. In this democratic and equal society we can’t imagine the picture of the hard-working blacks. Even if they devoted themselves totally to their masters they can’t get a worthy reward. In that time, they doomed to be slaves, to be low lives. They had no choice but to endure until the God taking them home. It’s their only belief.

Focus on Uncle Tom’s Cabin

Brief Introduction of Harriet Beecher Stowe and Uncle Tom’s Cabin

Uncle Tom's Cabin is an anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Published in 1852, the novel "helped lay the groundwork for the Civil War", according to Will Kaufman. Stowe focused the novel on the character of Uncle Tom, a long-suffering black slave around whom the stories of other characters—both fellow slaves and slave owners—revolve. The sentimental novel depicts the reality of slavery while also asserting that Christian love can overcome something as destructive as enslavement of fellow human beings. The book's emotional portrayal of the impact of slavery captured the nation's attention. It added to the debate about abolition and slavery, and aroused opposition in the South.

Harriet Beecher Stowe was an American abolitionist and author. Her novel Uncle Tom's Cabin depicted life for African-Americans under slavery; it reached millions as a novel and play, and became influential in the United States and United Kingdom. It energized anti-slavery forces in the American North, while provoking widespread anger in the South. She wrote more than 20 books, including novels; three travel memoirs, and collections of articles and letters. She was influential both for her writings and her public stands on social issues of the day.

One day, Stowe unconsciously went into a plantation of Kentucky and witnessed the full horror of the slaves, which was so touching and sentimental. Even when she took her child in her arms, it could remind her of the little girl’s crying, just because she was a black so that she couldn’t enjoy the life as well as a white. When she lay in her warm bed, it could remind her of the shabby house of the poor slaves and the drudgeries. So she has been haunting with a voice in mind “write all this out please, whether you have talent or not, this phenomenon should be revealed to help those poor guys.” Then Stowe dedicated herself to this slave-focused novel. As it were, this novel somewhat embody the conflict between the write and black.

Plot

Uncle Tom, a slave on the Shelby plantation, due to the Shelby’s kindness He lives satisfactorily with his wife and children in their own cabin. However, Mr. Shelby had to sell he and Harry because his debts. A slave trader, named Haley, bought them. Tom is devastated but vows that he will not run away, while Harry’s mother Eliza takes him and runs away. Eventually, she escapes successfully so does her husband George. Tom befriends his new master and especially his young daughter Eva, unfortunately the girl died because of her illness and her father dies tragically in an accident. Then Tom is sold again to Legree's plantation. Legree has planned to turn Tom into a brutal overseer, however, Tom’s kindness can't allow him to do this. At last, Legree becomes enraged and takes out his wrath on Tom. Tom also helps two women who Legree caring to escape and he died because of this event.

Key words

“Slavery”, “love”, “Bible”

Analysis of the Characters

a main characters

Uncle Tom—he is commonly seen as a noble, long-suffering praiseworthy Christian slave.

He is also a fairly honest and sincere piety. In Shelby's estate, he becomes a supervisor after taking good care of his master since he was a little boy. Tom pays more attention to his self-cultivation so that he is treated as a priest among the slaves around, especially to the slaves' spiritual redemption. When he knows that he will be sold, he accepts it peacefully. Putting others at the first place and replacing others to suffer the distress, he lives as the Jesus. As the stories unfolding, we can find the spirit of the Jesus. In this book, Tom suffers the misery from exploitation, but he still insists in his own belief, at last even his enemy shows respect to him. When others encourage him to resist and escape, he claims that his responsibility is to service his host. In Legree's plantation, the torment on both physical and mental can't change his Christian belief. His experience in somewhat is similar to the experience of the Jesus. Obviously, Tom is a black martyr of Christian.

   In Tom's last minutes, his words express clearly what love is" I loves ‘em all! I lovesevery creatur, everywhar!—it’s nothing but love! Oh, Mas’r George, what a thing ‘t is to be a Christian!”¹ So he is the incarnation of love. Tom is honest to the god, the master, so however difficult the situation is, he won't betray his soul. He says that his soul belongs to the god, when confronting with Legree's threatened and lash, he never changes his belief. Even if he has the chance to escape, he does nothing but staying there.

Patience is also the characteristic of Tom. He forgives everyone, even two cruel bullies. His death rouses the bullies' conscience and leads them to become Christian. When it comes to talking about Legree, he says that “He an’t done me no real harm,—only opened the gate of kingdom for me; that’s all!”²

The role of Tom is initially written as missionary. He hasn't been educated, thus can't write anything, but influenced by Mrs.Shelby, he is proud of being a Christian. The Bible becomes his entertainment and spirit. I remember one scene that Tom prevents Cassy from killing Legree. There are about 70 sites cited from the Bible. So it's really fair to say that Tom plays the role of missionary. His name has become an epithet directed towards African-Americans who are accused of selling out to whites. Throughout the book, far from allowing himself to be exploited, Tom stands up for his beliefs and is grudgingly admired even by his enemies.

Eva, is the daughter of Augustine St. Clare. She is also an cleric, from the name we can know that Eva is a pure and beautiful angel. She represents the angel. In this book, Eva  differs from other children. Actually, she is very cute, beautiful and she is always in white. Her cloth is clear just as her pure soul. “There was about it an undulating and aerial grace, suah as one might dream of for some mythic and allegorical being. Her face was remakable lee for its perfec beauty of feature than for a singular and dreamy earnestness of expression, which made the ideal start when they looked at her, and by which the dullest and most literal were impressed, without exactly knowing why.”³ Spiritually speaking, she is full of the thought of philanthropy like the angel in Bible. Once her father asked her whether she likes living with her uncle's family or her own family with a number of slaves, she answered absolutely it's her own family because there are so many people to love. The reason that she buys Tom is that she want Tom to be happy. When she heard Prue's miserable story, she felt grieved and sad. In he eyes, there are so many things difficult to understand why Pure is unhappy, or why Tom gets separate from his wife and children, why nobody loves the little black girl-Topsy. What she knows is to love the people around and her name has already conveyed the meaning to us. Eva brings gospel to each slave in her manor, as well as hope and love, and prompts his father's transformation. Eva has no discrimination against other race and feels distressed about slave - holding society. In her mind, everyone should be equal, not only the slave-holders, but also the slaves. She says that if her death could relief the pains of the slaves, she would do it willingly. She hopes to die for the slaves also like Jesus. When she expresses her love to naughty Tospy “ Oh,Topsy, poor child, I love you!” Yes, in that moment, a ray of real belief, a ray of heavenly love, had penetrated the darkness of her heathen soul!“⁴ She constantly talks about love and forgiveness, even convincing the dour slave girl Topsy that she deserves love. She even touches the heart of her sour aunt, Ophelia. Eventually Eva falls terminally ill. Before dying, she gives a lock of her hair to each of the slaves, telling them that they must become Christians so that they may see each other in Heaven.

Eva seemed to be an innocent child telling her family and the world about how she saw slavery which exposed a lot of its evils. But when she turned into a mini Jesus and preached to the slaves before her death as Jesus had preached the disciples before his death, I felt the author had given to too great of a "jump into maturity " to be believable, unless the short life of Eva was really supposed to be a unreal miracle occurrence. Eva was powerful enough as a real character that looks at slavery from innocent eyes. In her last minutes, she allots her hair to each slave to show her love companying them forever and she wants them to become Christians so that they will meet in the heaven in the future. Eva is too weak to exist in this world, and she doesn't belong to this world. She is just coming for breeding love. Her purity isn't compatible with this society. Through Eva's death, Stowe hits hardly about sin of slavery and calls for the abolishing of the immorality of the slavery.

Eliza，she is a beautiful half-bred slave and brought up by Mrs. Shebly. Her whole love is putting on her only child Harry. When she knows Harry will be sold, she is so worried and she knows clearly the only way is to escape. I can never forget the scene that Eliza jumping through the river with the ice. She is also a sincere Christian and firmly believes in god that the god will rescue them when they are in trouble. Eliza is a controversy character, respectful to his master and god, but her beloved child is got threaten, she has to make choice, and her maternal love beyond her honesty. At last, she escapes with her five-year old son Harry after he is sold to Mr. Haley. Her husband, George, eventually finds Eliza and emigrates with them to Canada.

Simon Legree, Legree is the incarnation and symbol of devil. He is as ferocious, hateful as snake. He trains his slaves, beats them and turns some of them to become bully. He is strong and sturdy. He also raises some dogs which are just as ferocious as he himself. Even his mother fell unconsciously, he kept ignorant of her. He is a cruel slave owner, whose name has become synonymous with greed. He is arguably the novel's main antagonist. His goal is to demoralize Tom and break him of his religious faith; he eventually orders Tom whipped to death out of frustration for his slave's unbreakable belief in God. The novel reveals that, as a young man, he had abandoned his sickly mother for a life at sea, and ignored her letter to see her one last time at her deathbed.

The mothers in Uncle Tom's cabin

Stowe portrays several ideal images of mothers, such as St. Clare's mother, Legree's mother, Mrs. Bird, Mrs. Shelby. These mothers are as sincere, pure, gentle and ideal as Maria.

St. Clare's mother is a noble -minded woman, she is against the slavery, shows her sympathy to the poor blacks. She had been keeping drumming this viewpoint into St. Clare. So St. Clare becomes a kind and gentle master, and lavishes the slaves in his manor.

Legree's mother educated his son with love and patient, however, Legree is furious, imperious and he despises his mother's thought, even treats nothing serious about hie mother's advise. So his behavior derails his mother's efforts.

Mrs.Bird is an easy-to-be-flush woman. A beautiful woman with a pair of blue eyes, they are so gentle as the pure water, and sweet voice. But when it comes to the topic of slave, she is full of rage and fury. She said "once I have the chance, I will absolutely do what I can to help those poor guys."  So when Eliza and Harry need help, she seizes the chance to help them as the god's willing.

Mrs.Shelby is a kind-hearted woman. She wants to change the slaves' working condition through kindness, care and education. She is extremely angry about her husband's action but she can't do anything. She only hope one day Tom will back.

From the above we know these mothers hate the slave system because it betrays the doctrine of Christian. They are the spiritual leader of their husbands or sons.

b. Other characters

Augustine St. Clare, Tom's second owner and father of Eva. He is the most sympathetic slave-owners in the novel. St. Clare is complex, often sarcastic, with a ready wit. St. Clare recognizes the evil in slavery, but is not willing to relinquish the wealth it brings him. After his daughter's death he becomes more sincere in his religious thoughts. He plans on finally taking action against slavery by freeing his slaves, but his good intentions ultimately come to nothing.

Topsy,  A "ragamuffin" young slave girl. When asked if she knows who made her, she professes ignorance of both God and a mother, saying "I s'pect I growed. Don't think nobody never made me." She is transformed by Little Eva's love.

Miss Ophelia, is Augustine St. Clare's pious, hard-working, abolitionist cousin from Vermont. She displays the ambiguities towards African-Americans felt by many Northerners at the time. She argues against the institution of slavery yet, at least initially, feels repulsed by the slaves as individuals.

Personal impression

My first reaction to this book is that it was based much more on religion than I had imagined it to be. As I expected, Stowe's main purpose of the book was to nakedly expose the institution of slavery to America and the rest of the world with the hopes that something would be done about it. To achieve this purpose, she showed us individual instances of slavery in a country that prided itself on its Christianity and its laws protecting freedom. She showed us how absurd slavery is "beneath the shadow of American laws and the shadow of the cross of Christ."

I am also surprised at the various kinds of relationships between whites and blacks of the South. We learn that not all whites were bad and not all blacks were good, but that there were quite a mixture of characters and relationships. That was strength of the book. It's not a melodrama, but shows an evil institution which allows both good and evil and all those in between to exist under it, and how this institution affects the individuals. Legree's plantation, for instance, corrupted anyone who came there. But the reader understands that it is the system that allows this which is the root of the problem, and that, by the way is a North/South problem, not just a Southern problem. She specifically calls on the North at the end of the book to ask them if they can live with the institution of slavery in their country and still call themselves Christians.

One major theme in Uncle Tom's Cabin is the evil and immorality of slavery. While Stowe weaves other sub themes throughout her text, such as the moral authority of motherhood and the redeeming possibilities offered by Christianity, she emphasizes the connections between these and the horrors of slavery. Stowe pushed home her theme of the immorality of slavery on almost every page of the novel, sometimes even changing the story's voice so she could give a "homily" on the destructive nature of slavery.

 Stowe saw motherhood as the "ethical and structural model for all of American life," She also believed that only women had the moral authority to save the United States from the demon of slavery, another major theme of Uncle Tom's Cabin is the moral power and sanctity of women. Through characters like Eliza, who escapes from slavery to save her young son, or Little Eva, who is seen as the "ideal Christian", Stowe shows how she believed women could save those around them from even the worst injustices. While later critics have noted that Stowe's female characters are often domestic clichés instead of realistic women, Stowe's novel "reaffirmed the importance of women's influence" and helped pave the way for the women's rights movement in the following decades.

Stowe's puritanical religious beliefs show up in the novel's final, over-arching theme – the exploration of the nature of Christianityand how she feels Christian theology is fundamentally incompatible with slavery. This theme is most evident when Tom urges St. Clare to "look away to Jesus" after the death of St. Clare's beloved daughter Eva. After Tom dies, George Shelby eulogizes Tom by saying, "What a thing it is to be a Christian." Because Christian themes play such a large role in Uncle Tom's Cabin—and because of Stowe's frequent use of direct authorial interjections on religion and faith—the novel often takes the "form of a sermon."