Elizabeth S.

Basbas
Uncle Tom’s Cabin
(Literary Critique)
The author of this book was Harriet Beecher Stowe in the 1850’s and
published in 1852 before the American civil war fought between April 1861 and
April 1865.
Slaves were considered to be the property of their “Masters” and were
bought and sold at will. Families were also broken up and children and parents
sold separately. The slave had very difficult lives and some ran away and tried to
escape to freedom in Canada up north.
Stowe got some of her information from those Abolishinists that will
helping the runaways. They had formed a system called the “Underground
Railroad” Where they secretly worked together to help the slaves towards
freedom. They were also slave hunters that would catch runaways and return
them to their owners.
Stowe felt that she must write a book about the situation to educate the
people in the entire country about the inhumane way these slaves were treated.
In her book, Uncle Tom, is one of the main characters. He is honest,
steadfast and true. He is the manager at Arthur Shelby’s Estate. Tom’s wife Chloe
is the cook there and is the mother of Tom’s children. Tom has been there many
years but because of financial difficulties he has to be sold.
George and Eliza Harris have a young son named Harry, Eliza run away with
her child harry because she hears that they are to be separated and sold, She
finds help from the Quaker community a religious group that will help her and
son.
 Eliza and her son harry escape across the Ohio River on the frozen ice,
jumping from piece to piece until they got to the other side.
Eventually they did make it to freedom in Canada with the help of the
Quakers religious group. Meanwhile Tom is taken on a boat by slave buyer named
Haley who intends to sell Tom at a slave market in New Orleans. On the boat,
Tom becomes friends with a happy little white girl named Evangeline. She is a
little bundle of joy and makes everyone feel happy.
Suddenly she slips and falls in to the river and is getting swept away by the
current. Tom dives into the river to save her and brings her back to the boat. Eva
is saved and her father Augustine St. Clare is so happy that he by slave Tom from
the bad man Haley.
Tom is taken to the St. Clare estate to live there with the family in New
Orleans. He becomes an important part of the St. Clare household and gets closer
to Eva over the next two years. They are both dedicated Christians and try to live
a good life and treat their fellow man with respect and love. In time Eva has
become very sick and asks that her golden locks or hair be cut. She gives them to
all her black friends and tells them that she loves them! Several days later she
dies. (Tuberculosis)
 Soon thereafter Mr. St. Clare dies and was not able to set Tom free which
was what he was planning.
Tom was sold to an Evil man named Sam Legree. Sam ordered Tom to whip
some of his fellow slaves but Tom refused. Sam Legree then whipped Tom over
and over his two overseers also beat Tom over and over. Tom just looked at them
and said “I forgive you” then he died.
His former owner George Shelby came there to by Tom back but it was too
late. Tom died! He was faithful to god to the end.
George Shelby returned to his place and set all of his slaves free in memory
of Tom.
Uncle Tom’s Cabin was written at a time when there was great division in
the USA about the concept of slave ownership.
My critical analysis is that the author Stowe did succeed in educating the
American people about the plight of the slaves living in such a terrible conditions
because they were simply property of another man. People did open their eyes
after reading this book and many realized that slavery was not good and actually
immoral and the system needed to be changed.
 Harriet Beecher Stowe’s book Uncle Tom’s Cabin sold 300,000 copies within
three months of publication. Even the president of the United States Abraham
Lincoln, met with Stowe. It is reported that he said “So this is the little lady who
made this big war!”
This was a bit of an exaggeration but Stowe’s writings definitely made an
impact on how the American people viewed slavery.
The 13th Amendment was passed on January 31, 1865 and ratified on
December 6, 1865 Abolished slavery in the United States.
Slavery was officially abolished and Stowe’s book might have helped!