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Homework Help: English: Books, Novels & Plays: Uncle Tom's Cabin
by Paco Bell
Slavery. It is a cruel custom that occurred in America's history.
There is one book that I think depicts the true cruelty of slavery. That
book is Uncle Tom's Cabin. In this book Harriet Beecher Stowe introduces us
to a character named Tom. Tom is a man who, even though a slave, leads an
honorable, Christian life. When you read this book Harriet Beecher Stowe
describes Tom so well that you feel as though you are a close relative of
his. In the remainder of this essay I will explain how Harriet came up with
this character, and the process she went through writing the book.
Harriet Beecher Stowe was born on June 14, 1811 in Litchfield,
Connecticut. She did not lead a fantastic life, and she was not wealthy like
many other people living in Litchfield at that time. In 1836 Harriet married
Calvin Stowe, and by the year 1850 had moved to Maine. During the time
before she moved to Maine she was exposed to slavery, and she thought of it
as preposterous. She wished that a stop would be put to slavery, but she
thought that she could do nothing about it. Then, one Sunday as she was
sitting in church she had a most disturbing vision of a slave named Tom being
beaten to death by his owner. This inspired her to write the book.
She originally did not mean to write a whole book, but once she got going she
couldn't stop and she ended up with very a powerful story. She showed her
husband before she completed the book and he suggested for her to pursue it
further. She did. She developed many well-rounded characters that become
real when you read the book. Some of the main characters included in her
book are: Uncle Tom, Mr. and Mrs. Shelby, Master George Shelby, Mr. Haley,
"Little Eva," Eliza, George, Harry, Mr. and Mrs. St. Clare, Topsy, Simon
Legree, Miss Ophelia and Cassy. All of these characters added an important
aspect to the book. Such as Simon Legree, Tom's last owner who beat him so
badly that he could not recover. Then there is the unforgettable character
"Little Eva." "Little Eva" was a young girl that Tom met while owned by the
St. Clare's. Little Eva gave Tom the name "Uncle" Tom since he acted like he
was her Uncle. In the book you get especially attached to Little Eva because
of her innocence, and her kindness. When Little Eva dies you are so
emotionally attached to her that you feel like you have lost a close relative.
The plot of Harriet's book is slavery. It showed the true inhumanity of
slavery. How Eliza's son was sold and taken away from her, and of course the
fierce treatment of Uncle Tom. At the end of the book Tom is beaten to a
point of no recovery. Then, someone from Mr. and Mrs. Shelby's home comes to
rescue him but it is too late. Uncle Tom dies from age and from being beaten
so severely. When Harriet finished the book she wasn't sure if she would
publish it or not, but she sent to a publisher anyway. The publisher said
that it was "so-so" and probably wouldn't sell,
but he agreed to publish her book anyway. It was called Life among the Lowly
at first, but eventually became Uncle Tom's Cabin. The publisher was far
from accurate. Within the first week of the book's publication 10,000 copies
were sold. Within the first year 300,000 copies had sold.
Because of the popularity of the book many stage versions were being played
all over the North by the end of 1853. Most shows were sold out within the
first day that tickets were being sold. It was a completely different
situation in the South. People hated the book and claimed that the slave
life shown in Uncle Tom's Cabin was "one-sided & unfair."
Harriet decided that she was not going to give up on her fight for the end of
slavery and the beginning of freedom. She chose to write another book to
defend her first book. People in the South became even more enraged. Of
course, many people think that Harriet paid a price for "starting the war."
In 1870 Harriet's son, Tom, disappeared while on a ship at Cape Horn. Until
Harriet's death in 1896 she continued hoping for him to come back, but he
never did.
Harriet's book is still almost as popular as it was in its early years of
publication. It is thought to be the best book about the immorality of
slavery, since it describes every appalling aspect of slavery in a way that
you will never forget.
Homework Help: English: Books, Novels, and Plays
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