Uncle Tom’s Cabin: a Feminist Novel

Uncle Tom’s Cabin is an 19th century novel written by Harriet Beecher Stowe that is basically a canon of masterpieces that depict the cruelties of slavery throughout this time period. Stowe uses her novel to spread her opinions of slavery throughout the United States at this time while using typology to tie the whole problem of slavery into Christianity. Uncle Tom’s Cabin shows that a person’s attitude toward religion intertwines with attitude towards slavery. The story follows the characters of Uncle Tom, Eliza, Eva, the St. Clare’s, and

This issue allowed women to get out of their domestic rut, and make a difference in the world. They appealed to the public’s empathy, their sense of family and compassion. Angelina Grimké, the daughter of a Southern slaveholder, asked her fellow Christian women to “embody themselves in societies, and send petitions up to their different legislatures, entreating their husbands, fathers, brothers, and sons, to abolish the institution of slavery” (Doc F). She claimed that slavery was a women’s issue as it was degrading and gruesome for female workers, and split families apart, wives from husbands, and mothers from children. Another important female abolitionist was Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, a best selling novel providing a sympathetic, Christian slave character for whites to relate to (Doc

She makes it clear that if it was any other kind of law that was trying to get passed or being discussed she would not care to be involved but because this issue is so dear to her religion she wants to fight for what is right. Mrs. Bird is another example of a Christ figure in this sense because she is standing up for what is morally correct based on her religion. Stowe uses exclamation points and a stern tone to emphasize Mrs. Bird’s point. By saying this, Mrs. Bird attempts to get others to support her Christian values and not treat the salves in such a cruel way. She makes it clear that no Christian person would treat a slave in this manner and this further elaborates on Stowe’s theme that slavery and Christianity are simply incompatible.

Harriet Beecher Stowe of Connecticut was the American author who wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin in 1852. This now famous novel was written about the humble life of a slave and the horrible acrostics committed against him. As shown in Document 4, this novel gave a new perspective to the Northerners. It gave the newly informed an understanding of what slavery actually was. The sympathy for the slaves soon turned to anger as a few select citizen lead by John Brown, took up arms to save the slaves.

Harriet Stowe’s writing style is very narrative and informal. Her famous book, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, is extremely personal and puts a direct storyline to slavery, which caused it to be very contentious. Those who supported slavery convicted Stowe’s work and said that it was just an overwrought story with an unrealistic model of what slavery was really like. Stowe became notorious all around the world after

Harriet Beecher Stowe is a young girl who wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin in 1852. She used her talent in literature to express her thoughts of slavery—Slaves should have the same rights as other Americans. Slavery should be prohibited because it is a great moral problem.

According to Annette Gordon-Reed, It is common for people to look at women’s novels and not take them seriously, especially in that time. “Jane Smiley, in a controversial essay, asked why Stowe’s novel has been more harshly treated than works written by men which are just as dated and offensive in their treatment of race, notably, Huckleberry Finn.” (Annette Gordon-Reed). I believe that Stowe’s novel was taken seriously as a woman’s novel. Uncle Tom’s Cabin was very influential in that time period, and still is today. The novel is commonly noted as a big influence that began the Civil War, and people still refer to it today. Uncle Tom’s Cabin is used very commonly today as a reference to slavery and the time period, and in many literature courses throughout high school and college. It is also stated in this critique that, “As a woman, Stowe had no hope of making a statue” (Annette Gordon-Reed). I disagree with this statement as well. Although women, along with blacks, were suppressed in that time period, there were many influential women in that time period that made a ‘statue’ for themselves, or a name.

Harriet Beecher Stowe tells stories of different slaveholders apathetic, abusive, and hypocritical actions towards various slaves in her beautifully written novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, during the 19th century in order to help convey the true evil behind slavery- no matter the circumstance. The author allows readers to view slavery from seemingly safe environments to hostile settings, and continually shows the bad in every situation. The reality of slavery is shown to anyone willing to read this novel, and Harriet Beecher Stowe does a good job of combining various stories that tie together in order to complete her goal.

Stowe presents slavery in the only way she knows how, by using the facts. Several sources of other works in American literature contrast on to how Stowe presents slavery in her novel "Uncle Tom's Cabin." The elements of slavery are driven through the reflections of theme, characterization, and setting to show that the way slavery is presented is not contradicting.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin was by no means a factual book. In fact, most, if not all of the events were completely made up. How then can a completely fictional book change the lives of so many? It comes from the power of Stowe’s rhetoric in conjunction with her target audience. Stowe was a white Christian female. She believed slavery was completely wrong and wanted to make a change. But how could she? She was a woman after all and during that time period women simply did not effect change through politics. According to Susan Harris, a respected Stowe researcher, “The men are not evil, but they are involved in the public world” (Harris). However influencing politics was the only way things were going to change and Stowe knew this. She henceforth targeted the white Christian mothers because they in turn could influence their men to make changes in the male dominant society of politics. A perfect method by which to achieve a change in slavery laws indirectly. Stowe especially used the power of sentimentalism to connect with her audience. She did not need facts or evidence, all she needed to effect change in the hearts of the women was a general feel for the subject. The women of that day were very sensitive and yet very powerful in the home. Stowe capitalized on this by using the Christ figures of Tom and Eva and their experiences during the slavery era to evoke a feeling of compassion for them in her audience. By using more emotion and targeting the human aspect of

     Published in the early 1850’s, Uncle Tom’s Cabin had a huge impact on our nation and contributed to the tension over slavery. It was written by Harriet Beecher Stowe, a woman who was involved in religious and feminist causes. Stowe’s influence on the northern states was remarkable. Her fictional novel about slave life of her current time has been thought to be one of the main things that led up to the Civil War. The purpose of writing it, as is often said, was to expose the evils of slavery to the North where many were unaware of just what went on in the rest of the country. The book was remarkably successful and sold 300,000 copies by the end of its first year. It is even rumored that

As previously mentioned, Stowe composed Uncle Tom’s Cabin to express the various views of slavery, and how it impacted the lives of those affected by this lifestyle. Growing up in this century, Stowe found the institution of slavery to be corrupt, with “the country requiring her complicity in a system she thought was unjust and immoral” (Uncle Tom’s Cabin). As Stowe did not believe in the Fugitive Slave Law—which required everyone to aid in the capture of fugitive slaves—she chose to hide runaway slaves, and her family promoted her drive to aid those in need. Stowe accomplished this feat through housing, feeding, and smuggling slaves to legal freedom in Canada, because it was the Christian thing to do.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin, is a novel written by Harriet Beecher Stowe which originally was published on March 20, 1852. Under the background that the country had been divided over the issue over slavery, the south states of the country are slaves states, and the north states of the country are slave free states. Different sides of the country have distinct views over slavery system in south. The north, specially abolitionist, views slavery system is villainous and immoral, it takes away the basic right of human which is freedom, and it againsts God which is Christian believes. The theme of the novel based on the abolitionist views. The purpose of the novel is that tell the world what is slave life like, especially for those northerners never been to the south.Their life will be strenuous or comfortable is depend on what kind of slave owner they meet. The book is appeal people to face and deal with the issue of slavery which lasted in the history for a long time.

While Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin overtly deals with the wrongs of slavery from a Christian standpoint, there is a subtle yet strong emphasis on the moral and physical strength of women. Eliza, Eva, Aunt Chloe, and Mrs. Shelby all exhibit remarkable power and understanding of good over evil in ways that most of the male characters in Stowe’s novel. Even Mrs. St. Claire, who is ill throughout most of the book, proves later that she was always physically in control of her actions, however immoral they were. This emotional strength, when compared with the strength of the male characters, shows a belief in women as equals to men (if not more so) uncommon to 19th century literature.

Stowe’s powerful and influential novel helped bringing the end of slavery in the United States. There are historians even believed that Uncle Tom’s Cabin contributed to the outburst of American civil war. However, Sand has a greater impact in world history since she promoted the importance of gender equality in a patriarchal society which most political, social and economic rights were reserved for males. She stressed that women should gain solid control over their personal lives and property. Moreover, her novels are still useful and powerful in feminist campaigns