30 - Uncle Tom's Cabin

Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe

Barnes & Noble, 2005

454 pages

Date completed: May 3, 2010

I was inspired to read Harriet Beecher Stowe’s infamous abolitionist novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin after reading an article in which Jane Smiley compared it to Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, stating that Uncle Tom’s Cabin should be considered the foremost anti-slavery novel in Huckleberry Finn’s stead. I was intrigued because I agreed with Smiley’s perspective that Twain’s novel failed the anti-slavery movement due to its neglect of the desires of the runaway slave Jim; however, I was unable to fully comprehend the article because I had not yet read Stowe’s novel. Therefore, after reading Smiley’s ruminations, I immediately added Uncle Tom’s Cabin to my reading list.

As I began to read, I was impressed by the readability of Stowe’s novel. I had expected it to be far more complex and dull (and thus harder to get through), but was pleasantly surprised by its easy-to-follow storyline and style. Despite the novel’s hulking size, I was able to finish it easily within the week. Uncle Tom’s Cabin also frequently amazed me with regard to its content. Not only did Stowe write this from a completely abolitionist standpoint, but she also creates a great deal of strong female characters who are unable to stand up to men. Characters such as Mrs. Shelby and Mrs. Bird are unafraid of voicing their true opinions to their husbands (even when those opinions clash with their husbands’ opinions), while Miss Ophelia is independent, opinionated, and educated. I was surprised to find even more radical (in terms of the 1850s) views than I had expected.

I think that Stowe’s setup was quite clever. Rather than portraying slaves who are forced to endure the cruelties of a harsh master from the very beginning, she subverts this expectation and eases the reader into the system slowly, starting the novel in a home in which slaves are treated with kindness and respect. Stowe creates an atmosphere that will appeal to her audience by first setting up a particular scene (for example, the pleasant evening in Uncle Tom and Aunt Chloe’s cabin), intimately portraying the characters and their interactions, and then ripping the peaceful atmosphere apart (as is shown when Tom is sold to Haley). This technique, which begins in comfort and spirals downward, was, in my opinion, very effective. I found myself feeling even more pity for the characters than I might have if the story had begun in the throes of misery.

This left me thinking often of Stowe’s original readers in the 1850s. Although many of the people reading the novel were undoubtedly abolitionists to begin with, Stowe had to craft her novel extremely carefully so as not to be so radical that she would lose readers from the very beginning. I can definitely see why the novel was such a success and why it was able to raise so many relevant concerns regarding slavery.

One thing that annoys me about the novel is that certain characters seem far too good to be true. Uncle Tom and Eva St. Clare both seem ridiculously idealized, which made them unrealistic. I understand that their trustworthiness and innocence is important to the novel’s plot in that the innocent child, Eva, is able to look past racial differences and imagine a world of equality, whereas Tom demonstrates that slaves can be deeply faithful and trustworthy people. However, because I felt that they were completely unrealistic, it was hard for me to muster up much emotion for them or feel too sorry when they died, although this was mostly true of Eva’s death—I'm so tired of reading about perfect, all-knowing nineteenth-century children who spend their entire deathbed scenes preaching about religion and goodness.

Overall, however, Stowe’s novel was thoroughly enjoyable. I feel as though it is an important novel to have read due to its historical relevance, and I enjoyed imagining that relevance as I was reading. From the hypocrisy of the slaveowners (Augustine St. Clare who detests the system of slavery yet continues to buy slaves) to the horrors of slave traders and the destruction of families, Uncle Tom’s Cabin was worthy of appreciation on multiple levels. Although it is melodramatic at times, I enjoyed it not only for the historical significance which originally led me to it, but also for its well thought out elements and general appeal.