Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Book Review Example

Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe

528 pages

Uncle Tom’s Cabin was produced by Harriet Beecher Stowe (born 14.6. 1811). The book was aimed at the eradication of slavery and was said to have highly influenced President Abraham Lincoln. The book helped to galvanize the anti-slavery movement. Despite the position of the book Stowe was criticized for the way blacks were negatively portrayed in the book. The book received many mixed reviews at the time and it was never classified as a truly great works.

The book was first published in 1852.  A more recent edition was published by W.  W.  Norton & Co., first edition 2006, 528 pages in English.  Stowe learned about slavery, by talking to people in a family home of Cincinnati, and mainly those blacks who had escaped persecution from Kentucky.  This book is particularly appealing  to those who wish to learn more about the concept of slavery in American history.  It dealt with many of the issues prior to the American Civil War and provide clarity on the pleadings of the antislavery lobby.  The book is a fitting well-recognized classical works of this era.

For a Stowe’s novel dealt with the effects of slavery on both the white and black communities.  The first part of the book deals with the slave Eliza and her ultimate escape to freedom.  The second part, in chapters 10 to 29, due with the relationship of uncle Tom and that of little Eva  on the St. Clair plantation.  Parts three, chapters 30- 42, deal  with that of Simon Legree and the death of uncle Tom.  The final three chapters offer resolution of action with Stowe’s appeal for the end of slavery.

The historical context of the book is based upon the early formative years the American history and how the United States became divided into two main regions. i.e. the north and the south.  The North being a more urban and industrial society was the South being more involved with agricultural slave labor.  Two regions group often disagreed the use of slavery.  The book gained in popularity during the Civil War years, and despite this reducing after the emancipation of slaves, nevertheless the book has remained a truly great American classic.

The book has a number of main characters that include:

Adolph: Augustine St. Clair’s personal slave, who wears his masters cast-off elegant                            clothes and considers himself superior to the other slaves who he considers                     inferior;

Sen. John Bird: essentially a reformist senator, who originally voted for the fugitive slave law in Congress.  He learned the error of his ways.  When he lies and little Harry, seek his protection and shelter;

Mrs. Mary Bird: the wife of Sen. Byrd.  Normally, a timid character that speaks out on the anti- Christian and anti-family aspects of slavery, impressing her husband.

Mr. Shelby: the plantation owner;

Uncle Tom: Mr. Shelby’s best slave;

Harry: a young slave;

Eliza: Harry’s mother

George: Eliza’s husband

The overall story is based upon the lives of three slaves and the different paths they take  on, prior to the outbreak of the American Civil War.  The main character is that of Uncle Tom a trustworthy and reliable slave of Mr. Shelby.  Tom is sold to Mr. Haley a plantation owner in Kentucky, along with young Harry.  Uncle Tom’s cabin is a log building where Tom and his wife Chloe raised their sons.  The log cabin is also used as a meeting room for other slaves where they conduct Bible readings.  Elijah and Harry eventually escape and become runaway slaves.  They seek refuge on the other side of the Ohio River with Senator  and Mrs. Bird.  Eliza  confides to the birds and tells about their plight in the south.  Eliza and Harry eventually moved to a Quaker home in Indiana, and ultimately managed to find George in Canada.  Whilst Tom gets further sold into slavery, changing ownership and number of times and leaving his family behind.  Tom eventually end up as a slave in the St. Clair households in New Orleans and becomes a family friend.  The book continues to focus on the humanity of Tom and his many experiences as he gets passed on to different owners situations.  He manages adapt, but misses his family still in Kentucky with Mr. Shelby.  Tom eventually moves into a state of decline by his continued torment and eventually his questioned faith until he has a vision  of Christ’s suffering and telling him that his suffering will soon be over and rewarded in heaven.  Eventually Mr. Shelby finds Tom, but it is too late and Mr. Shelby is heartbroken seeing Tom dying.  The saddest part of the story being of Tom’s death, and that of having to tell his wife Chloe.

My final thoughts on Uncle Tom’s Cabin is that it is an extremely fascinating character study of the period.  The character studies invoke extremely strong emotions as you witness firsthand how the individuals manage to deal with their plight and circumstances.  The Southern plantation owners and other business people that used slavery, seem to have a remarkable indifference to human suffering and the impact that this has on the families of the slaves.  The book, however, was not without hope even for the white people discovering their humanity in this situation.  Mr. Shelby maintained a love and respect for Tom, throughout his life to the point where he was grief stricken at his death.  The birds managing to see the error of their ways and subsequently helping Eliza and Harry to escape.  The book is a champion for the cause of human rights and abolition of slavery.  Anyone reading this book, cannot fail to be moved by the treatment of the slaves, the persecution and suffering that they endured.

The book is very clever in its treatment of how it manages to interweave the stories of three different people’s lives.  It manages to deal with irony, brutality, compassion, indifference and great sorrow.  Contrasting these with the different journeys experienced by the individuals highlighted in this story.  The positive aspects of this book is that it is told with a refreshing honesty and the written word is graphically intensive.  The writing is extremely provocative and is intentionally asking you to re-examine your situation.  It questions how you might support such inhumanity and brutality in the treatment of other human beings.  It is easy to see how Pres. Lincoln described Stowe as being the person that influenced the start of the American Civil War.

Some of the more modern-day reviews of the book have criticized how words and expressions are both derogatory and defamatory to black people.  This may be a little unfair to the author, who was dealing with the language and expressions of that time.  i.e. the time prior to the American Civil War.  This book is highly recommended to those who wish to read about the history of slavery in America. Prior to the commencement of the American Civil War.  It provides an extremely good background and character study of the time.