Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin - The Power of Love

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In Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin, the author presents two characters, Evangeline and Topsy, who represent the two extremes of society. Evangeline is a fair, high-bred child with a noble brow and prince-like movements, while Topsy is a black, keen, and subtle neighbor with an odd and goblin-like appearance. Evangeline is always dressed in white and moves through all sorts of places without contracting a spot or stain, while Topsy is dressed in a single filthy, ragged garment made out of bagging. Evangeline is treated with love and kindness, while Topsy is whipped with a poker, knocked down with a shovel or tongs, whichever comes the handiest. Evangeline's Christ-like feelings about slavery are in stark contrast to Topsy's lack of understanding of God. Evangeline's kindness and grace earn her the admiration of those around her, while Topsy's mischievous behavior and habit of stealing things have left her unloved and uncared for. However, when Evangeline speaks to Topsy with kindness, it is the first time the child has ever heard such words, and something like a tear shines in her keen, round, glittering eye.

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