Uncle Tom's Cabin
By: Harriet Beecher Stowe
Summary
A Kentucky farmer named Arthur Shelby has ran a large amount of debts and he is forced to sell two of his slaves to a man by the name of Mr. Haley. Uncle Tom and Harry are the slaves that are sold. On the way to the Mississippi for transportation, he meets a little white girl named Eva, and they become great friends. Back home, Eliza and Harry flee from home to meet up with her husband George in Canada, and as a result, Mr. Haley sends a slave hunter by the name of Loker after them. They find a Quaker settlement and they agree to help them travel safely. They eventually meet up with George and the slave hunters meet up with them, but George fires at him and injures him, narrowly avoiding being captured. Meanwhile Tom travels with Eva's father, Augustine St. Clare, who buys him from Haley as a result from Eva falling in the river and Tom dove in to save her. After living with them for about two years, Eva becomes sick and dies. St. Clare sets Tom free, but before he acts on the decision, he dies and his wife sells him to Simon Legree, who is a very bad man. He immediately dislikes Tom and tries to break his religious faith.
Review
I enjoyed the book because it demonstrated how kind people can be. From when Tom was beaten and forgiving the people who beat him, to him jumping into the river to save a person he had just met. It also demonstrates how absolutely horrifying people can be as well, as shown by the evil slave master by the name of Simon Legree.
Characters
The characters are Uncle Tom, Ophelia St. Clare, and Simon Legree. Uncle Tom is a very religious man which causes him to love everyone and not hate. Everywhere he ends up going, he ends up influencing his religion and heartwarming personality. Ophelia St. Clare dislikes slavery, but does not like the slaves themselves either. She begins to love them however the more she comes into contact with them throughout the story. Simon Legree is a very evil man. He is Uncle Tom's master and tries to break Tom's religious faith, but fails.
Favorite Passage
The scene when Eva fell into the Mississippi River is probably my favorite passage in the book because Tom barely knew her and regardless of that, he risked his own life by diving into the river to save her from almost certain death. Another reason is because Tom was rewarded by being bought from the cruel slave trader Mr. Haley by the father of the girl, where he is loved by the St. Clare household and becomes even closer to Eva.
Harriet Beecher Stowe
"Harriet Beecher Stowe biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 6 Nov. 2013. <http://www.biography.com/people/harriet-beecher-stowe-9496479>.
Cover of Book
Winship, Michael . "UTC: History of the Book in the 19th Century U.S.." UTC: History of the Book in the 19th Century U.S.. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Nov. 2013. <http://utc.iath.virginia.edu/interpret/exhibits/winship/winship.html>.
Another Cover of Book
Martinez, Rob . "Uncle Tom’s Cabin (powerpoint & photostory) | Historymartinez's Blog." Historymartinezs Blog. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Nov. 2013. <http://historymartinez.wordpress.com/2010/10/24/uncle-toms-cabin-powerpoint/>.