Themes and Ideas from "Uncle Tom's Cabin"
Abolition
Harriet Beecher Stowe shows her ideals through this book. Through Emily Shelby, she declares that "slavery is a curse to the master and a curse to the slave!" Through George Harris, she compares the slavery of the black to the capture of whites by Indians, where they are forced to work the Native's corn for the rest of their lives. Through Cassy, Stowe rages at how there is no law of the whites that can protect a slave from being scalded, burned alive, cut into pieces, whipped to death or torn apart by dogs. Through St. Clare, she explains that even a black man contains an immortal soul to be loved by God.
All of this, she does simply to explain how wrong slavery is, to show how slaves can be tortured, their families ripped apart, their God stripped from them, their intelligence denied them, and their spirit torn from them. And to think that even after all of this, the moment their master dies, they will be sold off to one that could be even worse! Many people in this day and age believe that Stowe has made slavery out to be better than it is, due to the fact that the first three-quarters of the book feature Uncle Tom living under kind masters. Is this the truth? One cannot say for sure, but even so, the few cruel acts mentioned are enough to make the heart throb, to make the reader weep for the poor souls in this novel.
All of this, she does simply to explain how wrong slavery is, to show how slaves can be tortured, their families ripped apart, their God stripped from them, their intelligence denied them, and their spirit torn from them. And to think that even after all of this, the moment their master dies, they will be sold off to one that could be even worse! Many people in this day and age believe that Stowe has made slavery out to be better than it is, due to the fact that the first three-quarters of the book feature Uncle Tom living under kind masters. Is this the truth? One cannot say for sure, but even so, the few cruel acts mentioned are enough to make the heart throb, to make the reader weep for the poor souls in this novel.
Religion
Throughout Uncle Tom's Cabin, Stowe makes references to the Bible, particularly the Old Testament. This is not uncommon. Herman Melville's Moby Dick references this old text, as does Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, and many works by William Shakespeare. What makes Uncle Tom's Cabin stand out among the others is how much the characters rely on their religion, and try to evangelize. Eliza Harris believes that God will get her safely to Canada, St. Clare dies asking Tom to pray for him, and Tom's life would not have ended painlessly and without hatred had Tom not been so loved by the Lord. In a way, Tom could even be considered a martyr for refusing to give up Cassy's location despite being flogged within an inch of his life.
Both Tom and Eva die after saying something about Heaven as they enter its warm embrace, and both constantly try to evangelize. Eva's name, Evangeline, is proof enough of this fact. She tries to tell Topsy, who believes that she is loved by no one, that the Lord loves her, and to convince her father that the Lord is real, and is waiting for St. Clare to return to him. After Eva's death, Tom tries to bring St. Clare into the Lord's hands in order to heal his aching heart. When Tom is in Legree's hands, his trust in the Lord keeps him from losing hope, and ultimately, Tom dies a gentle, peaceful, painless death.
Both Tom and Eva die after saying something about Heaven as they enter its warm embrace, and both constantly try to evangelize. Eva's name, Evangeline, is proof enough of this fact. She tries to tell Topsy, who believes that she is loved by no one, that the Lord loves her, and to convince her father that the Lord is real, and is waiting for St. Clare to return to him. After Eva's death, Tom tries to bring St. Clare into the Lord's hands in order to heal his aching heart. When Tom is in Legree's hands, his trust in the Lord keeps him from losing hope, and ultimately, Tom dies a gentle, peaceful, painless death.
Women's Rights
This is once of the less notable themes in Uncle Tom's Cabin, but when Tom is sold away, Emily Shelby asks her husband if she can manage their money from then on. Arthur is, of course, indignant. He explains how lacking women are in the area of finance, and how Emily never could. Emily tries to object, since she knows that she is smart enough to handle the money, and to handle it much better than Arthur, but the man begins shouting at her, so she decides to let it go. Five years later, we find out that Arthur's refusal led to more financial trouble. As a last "I told you so," Stowe has Arthur entrusts his property and money to his wife before passing away, proving female dominance in this area. Ultimately, Arthur Shelby's failure to acquire and hold on to money results in the death of Uncle Tom.
Interdependence
The interdependence of master and slave is the most obvious example of this. It easy for most people to see how the masters--particularly the plantation owners--might depend on their slaves, but in the case of the slaves, it is slightly more difficult to understand. What might a slave fear most? The wrath of an angry master, or the pain of being sold. Both of these things may occur if the slave shirks their work, and their masters lose money or health. A masters profit depends on his slave's labor, and a slaves health depend on his master's mood and health. In this way, a grudging interdependence is formed.
The interdependence of slave catchers to slave traders, and the interdependence of best friends are but two more examples seen in Uncle Tom's Cabin. In the case of Haley, Tom Loker, and Marks, Haley depends on the slave catchers to retrieve the slaves he has bought, and they in turn rely on him for their business. Topsy and Eva are more kindly bound to each other. Topsy relies on Eva to love her, for no one else ever has, and Eva relies on Topsy to make her last days joyful ones.
The interdependence of slave catchers to slave traders, and the interdependence of best friends are but two more examples seen in Uncle Tom's Cabin. In the case of Haley, Tom Loker, and Marks, Haley depends on the slave catchers to retrieve the slaves he has bought, and they in turn rely on him for their business. Topsy and Eva are more kindly bound to each other. Topsy relies on Eva to love her, for no one else ever has, and Eva relies on Topsy to make her last days joyful ones.