Uncle Tom’s Cabin
By: Venidikt • Essay • 480 Words • April 27, 2010 • 1,359 Views
Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Uncle TomЎЇs Cabin
Ў°Uncle TomЎЇs CabinЎ± was a tale set in the 1850ЎЇs, and focused on the cruelty of slavery. The story follows Uncle Tom, who is a slave belonging to Shelby, as he is sold and bought numerous times. Stowe shows how inhumane slavery was; slaves, including Uncle Tom, are beaten and whipped. Uncle Tom is whipped until he is about to die. It depicted the lifestyles of the people in the 1850ЎЇs, as it showed the plantations, the river boats, and how slaves were being bought and sold.
The authorЎЇs message in this book was that slavery was inhumane and immoral. This is supported by the numerous scenes that Stowe depicts about slavery. For example, the book starts with Arthur Shelby, Uncle TomЎЇs owner, selling him. The mere fact that humans are being bought and sold conveys a message that slavery is inhumane from the beginning. Second, Stowe also portrays the hardships the slaves had to go through; which led some to escape, and some to death. For example, a slave that was bought by Haley commits suicide. This scene shows how the slaves despised their lives, and even were willing to avoid it by taking their own lives. This shows what slavery was like for the slaves themselves, and Stowe conveys the message that slavery is immoral to the readers. Third, when St. Claire, the new owner of Uncle Tom, buys Topsy and gives her to his cousin to raise, it makes the readers think that slaves are being treated like pets, rather than human beings. Fourth, the message that slavery is inhumane and immoral is conveyed again, when Legree, Uncle TomЎЇs new owner, buys two female slaves for