Uncle Tom's Cabin; or Life Among the Lowly
Uncle Tom's Cabin was a novel written by Harriet Beecher Stowe that proved to be one of the great trigger events that hurtled the nation towards Civil War. Published in 1852, the novel was published in a weekly-serial format and quickly became the best selling book of the 19th century. Stow made no effort to approach her subject without bias. Motivated by the Fugitive Slave Act, Stowe was written for the purposing of igniting the passions of its readers. Based upon the autobiography of former slave Josiah Henson and the interviews of escaped slaves, Stowe created characters and events that symbolized common stereotypes of blacks, slave traders, and slave owners.
"Speak!" thundered Legree, striking him furiously. "Do you know anything?"
"I know, Mas'r; but I can't tell anything. I can die! "
At the center of her work is the character of Uncle Tom - a kind, and benevolent black man liked to a Christ figure - and Simon Legreee - a viscous and brutal master. When Tom refuses to betray the trust of runaway slaves by revealing their location Legree whips Toms to death. Tom sacrifices his life to save theirs. The brutal sacrificial death of the brave and kind Tom resonated as a Christ-like figure with many Northerners. The cruel slave master equally horrified and angered the same audience.
For Southerners, the work was at best a misguided, erroneous tale of imagination; at worst, it was pure deceit meant to dishonor Southerns and mock their way life through vile propaganda.
For Southerners, the work was at best a misguided, erroneous tale of imagination; at worst, it was pure deceit meant to dishonor Southerns and mock their way life through vile propaganda.
* * * Discussion Questions * * *
1. How was the novel received in the North? 2. What arguments and evidence did Stowe present while making her case against slavery? 3. What measures were taken in the Southern states to prevent the reading of Uncle Tom's Cabin? 4. What modern day issues provoke the same types of opposing reactions? Can you cite some examples? |