Summary
Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe was one of the most influential books of the 19th century. Though controversial today for its racial stereotypes, the 1852 novel was groundbreaking in humanizing enslaved people and exposing the moral injustice of slavery to a wide audience. The novel follows the story of Uncle Tom, an enslaved man in Kentucky who is sold and experiences brutality in the Deep South. Other key characters include Eliza, who escapes slavery with her young son, and the cruelly manipulative slave owner Simon Legree.
Uncle Tom's Cabin sold over 300,000 copies in its first year and helped galvanize the abolitionist movement in the United States. The novel's vivid depiction of the cruelties of slavery struck a chord with readers and intensified anti-slavery sentiment in the North in the years leading up to the Civil War. The immense popularity of Uncle Tom's Cabin led to numerous adaptations, including stage plays known as “Tom Shows” that were performed for decades. The first film version was made in 1903, while the 1927 silent film adaptation was one of the most expensive movies of its era.
Plot
Uncle Tom's Cabin opens on the Shelby plantation in Kentucky, where the kind slave Tom lives with his wife and children. Facing financial troubles, Mr. Shelby reluctantly decides to sell Tom and a young boy named Harry to a cruel slave trader. Harry's mother Eliza overhears this and flees with her son, dramatically crossing the frozen Ohio River to reach freedom. Meanwhile, Tom is sold and sent south on a riverboat, where he meets and befriends a young white girl named Eva.
Eva's father Augustine St. Clare purchases Tom and brings him to their New Orleans home. There, Tom and Eva develop a deep spiritual friendship, but tragedy strikes when Eva falls ill and dies. Her death prompts St. Clare to begin the legal process of freeing Tom, but before he can do so, St. Clare is killed in an accident. His wife reneges on her husband's promise and sells Tom to the brutal plantation owner Simon Legree.
On Legree's plantation, Tom endures harsh treatment but refuses to compromise his Christian faith. He befriends and encourages two fellow slaves, Cassy and Emmeline, to escape. When Tom refuses to tell Legree where the women have gone, Legree has Tom beaten to death. Just before Tom dies, he forgives the overseers who beat him, causing them to repent. George Shelby, Mr. Shelby's son, arrives at the plantation to buy Tom's freedom, but is too late.
The novel concludes with George Shelby freeing all his slaves in Tom's memory. Meanwhile, Eliza and her family have been reunited and found freedom in Canada. Cassy discovers that Eliza is her long-lost daughter, and the extended family eventually emigrates to Liberia. The story ends with a plea for Christian love to overcome the evils of slavery.
Themes
The evils of slavery
Christian love and faith as a response to injustice
The moral power and influence of women
The destruction of families caused by slavery
Racial stereotypes and prejudices
Active resistance vs. passive acceptance of oppression
The conflict between Christian values and economic interests
Setting
Uncle Tom's Cabin is set in the mid-19th century United States, during the height of slavery in the South. The story takes place primarily in Kentucky and Louisiana, portraying life on plantations and the harsh realities of the slave trade.
The narrative opens on the Shelby plantation in Kentucky, where we are introduced to the kindhearted slave Uncle Tom and other key characters. As the plot unfolds, the setting shifts southward to New Orleans, following Tom's journey after he is sold. The bustling city provides a stark contrast to the rural Kentucky setting, highlighting the different facets of slavery across the South.
In its final chapters, the novel moves to a brutal cotton plantation in rural Louisiana. This harsh environment, under the ownership of the cruel Simon Legree, serves as the backdrop for the story's climax. Throughout the book, Harriet Beecher Stowe vividly depicts various Southern locales to illustrate the widespread impact of slavery on American society in the years leading up to the Civil War.
Characters Uncle Tom: The central character. Tom is an enslaved African American man known for his deep Christian faith, kindness, and moral integrity. He faces immense suffering but remains steadfast in his beliefs and compassion.
Eliza Harris: An enslaved woman who escapes to freedom with her young son. She is a key figure in the novel’s depiction of the struggles of enslaved people seeking liberty. Her daring escape across the frozen river is one of the novel’s most memorable moments.
Eva St. Clare: The young daughter of Augustine St. Clare. A delicate and saintly girl, Eva forms a deep bond with Uncle Tom. Her moral purity and compassion have a significant influence on those around her, especially her father.
Augustine St. Clare: Eva’s father, a wealthy, kindhearted man who purchases Uncle Tom. While sympathetic to the plight of enslaved people, Augustine struggles with the moral and legal complexities of slavery.
Marie St. Clare: Augustine St. Clare’s wife and Eva’s mother. She is portrayed as self-centered, harsh, and unsympathetic to the plight of enslaved people, in contrast to her husband’s more compassionate nature.
Simon Legree: The villain of the story. Legree is a cruel and sadistic plantation owner who purchases Tom after the death of Augustine St. Clare. He represents the brutal and dehumanizing aspects of slavery.
Topsy: A young enslaved girl who works on the St. Clare plantation. She is introduced as a mischievous, wild child, but under Eva’s influence, she begins to soften and learn about love and compassion.
Mr. Shelby and Mrs. Shelby: Owners of Uncle Tom at the beginning of the novel. Mr. Shelby is depicted as a relatively decent man who tries to maintain moral principles, while Mrs. Shelby is compassionate and protective of her enslaved workers.
Quick facts
Uncle Tom’s Cabin was the bestselling novel of the 19th century and the second bestselling book after the Bible.
Harriet Beecher Stowe was inspired to write a novel about the cruelties of slavery after the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850.
Her story of Uncle Tom and his friends was initially published in 40 weekly installments in an abolitionist newspaper before being released as a novel.
The novel sold 300,000 copies in the United States in its first year of publication.
Uncle Tom’s Cabin helped fuel the abolitionist movement in the 1850s leading up to the Civil War.
The character of Uncle Tom was partially inspired by Josiah Henson, a former slave who published his autobiography.
Uncle Tom’s Cabin has been translated into over 60 languages.
Uncle Tom’s Cabin was adapted into extremely popular stage plays known as “Tom Shows” that ran for decades.
The novel also spawned a whole genre of “anti-Tom” literature in defense of slavery.
Though groundbreaking for its time, Uncle Tom’s Cabin popularized several stereotypes about African Americans that persist to this day.
About the Author
Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896) was an influential American author and abolitionist. She is best known for her 1852 novel Uncle Tom's Cabin, a powerful indictment of slavery that reached millions of readers. The novel depicted the harsh realities of enslaved people's lives and helped energize the abolitionist movement in the North. It also provoked anger in the South, where Stowe was accused of exaggeration and slander. The book's massive popularity made Stowe one of the most famous women in America at the time.
Born in Connecticut, Stowe came from the prominent Beecher family of preachers and reformers. She received an unusually thorough education for a woman of her time at the Hartford Female Seminary run by her sister Catharine. She went on to write numerous articles and more than 30 books, including the novels Dred and The Minister's Wooing as well as Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Beyond abolition, she was involved in various social causes, including expanding the legal rights of married women.
Stowe's legacy as an author and reformer is commemorated through various landmarks and honors. Her homes in Cincinnati, Brunswick, and Hartford have been preserved as museums. In 1986, she was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.
