Uncle Tom's Cabin By Harriet Stowe: An Analysis

Harriet Stowe’s novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin is a work of social protest that examines the inhumanity of slavery in the United States and its contradictions to Christian values. In the story,

Harry and Eliza Harris, the Shelbys’ slaves, embark on a journey to Canada after Tom, another slave, overhears Mr. Shelby discussing the imminent sale of Harry, Eliza’s son. Along their journey, the Harris family stays at a Quaker settlement for refuge. For the first time, the Harrises feel at home, forever changing their lives and those who encounter them. However, many individuals who encounter the Harris family question the institution of slavery, acting on such questions in various capacities. Through the employment of Christians and Quakers, Stowe

reveals

Additionally, the majority of copies were sold in Great

Britain, where many products from the South were purchased. Despite this, the strong support from across the pond made it politically challenging for the crown to support the Confederate 1 Independence Hall Association. "Harriet Beecher Stowe — Uncle Tom's Cabin." U.S. History

Online Textbook. Ushistory.org, 2015. Web. Herzog 2 government. While Lincoln’s remark was most definitely an overstatement, it is clear that Stowe had significant influence on garnering abolitionist support in the Civil War.2

Born into a wealthy Northern family and educated at an all-girls prep school, Harriet

Stowe emerged as a powerful writer imbued with notions of gender and racial equality. After moving to Cincinnati, Ohio, Stowe was exposed to issues surrounding fugitive slaves and the

Underground Railroad. Following the death of her son, Stowe wrote, “it was at his dying bed and at his grave that I learned what a poor slave mother may feel when her child is torn from

Siemon’s commitment to his spiritual leading and selflessness is evident, as he acknowledges that he may loose everything 6 "Living in the World: Application of Friends Testimonies." Faith & Practice: A Book of

Christian Discipline. Philadelphia, PA: Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, 2007. 75. Print.

7 8 Stowe, Harriet Beecher. Uncle Tom's Cabin. Pleasantville, NY: Readers Digest, 1852. 224.

Print.

Herzog 5 by taking a moral stand. While Christians could make similar convictions, Friends are remembered in history for their moral leadership, sometimes even dying in prison as a result of their steadfast leadings. It is important that Stowe placed a Quaker family in the novel to model the behavior of a good Christian neighbor.

While Stowe’s depictions of 19th Century Quakers are not inaccurate to the conduct of many Quaker communities, it’s important to recognize the decentralization of the Religious

Society of Friends and the difference in leadings this may cause. At that time, there were still a number of Quaker communities that did not fully understand and embrace the notion of