Uncle Tom’s Cabin
(Harriet Beecher Stowe)

Slavery as Evil

The primary concern of the novel is exploring all aspects of slavery. Harriet Beecher Stowe does this to inevitably conclude that slavery is evil. Many Americans, while sympathetic to slaves, would not go so far as to say that slavery is evil. However, this is the view that Stowe imparts upon her readers. She reveals the cruel parts of slavery, the beatings, the separation of families, the use of attractive females for pleasure, for the shock and awe factor that would force strong feelings and emotions in sympathizers.

Christian Morality

The strongest argument that Stowe makes in defense of abolition is that slavery is unchristian. She shows again and again through characters such as Evangeline, the "angel" of innocence, and Uncle Tom, the ultimate Christian man, how Christian morals clash with the practices of slavery. By using well-known mantras such as "love thy enemy" and common Christian values such as faith, love and charity she shows how slavery goes against these core foundations of the religion.

Feminism

Unlike a lot of other literature of the time, Uncle Tom's Cabin contains strong female characters. These characters, such as Eliza, Evangeline, Aunt Chloe, and others, are all highly respectable and highly moral. There is a strong motif of the power of motherhood, as Eliza best demonstrates with her perilous journey across the ice. The women in Uncle Tom's Cabin act as moral compasses and beacons of joy, while the men are more likely to be corrupted by societal views.

Martyrdom

By using martyrs, Harriet Beecher Stowe invokes references to Jesus Christ and also strong emotion in her readers with her sentimental style of writing. The two main martyrs in Uncle Tom's Cabin are Evangeline St. Clare and Uncle Tom. Even though they are both martyrs, however, their situations are vastly different. Evangeline is a privileged white slave-owner whose gentle heart causes her death. She cannot take all the cruelties committed against slaves and becomes ill of an unknown disease. Uncle Tom is a slave himself, and throughout the novel remarkably honest and pious. In the end, his situation forces him to become a martyr, and he is portrayed as an obvious Christ-like figure.

Freedom

Freedom is the ultimate goal for the slaves in the American system. While some slaves have a good life and kind masters, they discover just how quickly they can be ripped from their families and sent to die on a plantation. Characters who initially are satisfied with their life come to crave their freedom. Although there is some dialogue on the definition of freedom, the freedom the slaves seek is being able to choose their work, keep their wages, and be near their families. These sort of basic freedoms are what Stowe argues for.

Education

The issue of education is double-fold for Stowe. On one hand, there is value in learning to read, write and do basic numbers. On the other, Stowe views education as a primarily Christian endeavor, as shown through characters such as Topsy. Many slaves do not know how to read and write. Before Tom leaves Kentucky, George teaches him enough to get by, but only whites have full command of the written word. Topsy is given a traditional education, but also a Christian education by Ophelia. She is instructed to read the bible and eventually becomes a missionary.

Family and Separation

The most tragic aspect of slavery, in Stowe's opinion, is the separation of families. To Stowe, the family unit is sacred, and the fact that slave traders can separate families without so much as a twinge of regret shows that those who buy and sell slaves truly think of them as property and not human beings. Many of the characters who defend slavery, such as the slave trader Haley, even go so far as to say that the slaves don't even have the capacity to feel the loss of their families and children as whites do. As Stowe proves in her many scenes of families being separated, this is not the case.

The Law versus Morality

There is a clear distinction in the novel against following the law if the law happens to go against Christian values. What sounds good on paper doesn't work as well in practice, and the same is true of many laws passed. Most notably for Stowe was the second Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, which forbid anyone to help runaway slaves. This is shown most clearly when Eliza first runs away and seeks shelter at an Ohio senator's house. The senator had just voted for the Fugitive Act to pass, but when faced with a defenseless woman and child he helped them out of his kindness towards his fellow man.

Activism

While Uncle Tom's Cabin is a novel, it is also a call to action. Many times in the text the narrator breaks up the story to insert pleas to the reader, or to reinforce powerful points. She argues that even though many say they sympathize with slaves, they are not willing to help them. Even though this is not as bad as committing the cruelties themselves, those people are still to blame for keeping an evil system which allows those cruelties to occur. Uncle Tom's Cabin was highly effective at sparking activism, which is why some claim it helped start the Civil War.

Stereotypes

A common complaint of modern readers against Uncle Tom's Cabin is the profusion of stereotypical characters, some of them offensive. Harriet Beecher Stowe, because she was writing to such a large audience and making broad arguments, used stereotypes to get her points across clearly. Many of the characters, black and white, are nothing more than representations of certain recognizable figures such as mother, romantic hero, religious, dandy, and so on. The book was so influential is actually helped create stereotypes for blacks that exist to this day, such as the funny man and the pickaninny.