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A review by halthemonarch
Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Usually I find reading old books to be difficult to read, but Harriet Beecher Stowe has such a bouncy and stageplay-like way of writing that I was enthralled the whole time. With the supreme literary voice and the then-divisive subject matter, it doesn’t surprise me that this book made waves in the beginning of America’s Civil War era. After getting the e-version and audio from my library, I bought the hard copy! I plan to go through again with many highlighters-- a color for a genius of prose, a different color for every rationale for slavery, another color for every rationale against slavery, and maybe a few of those sticky tabs for any other quotes that jumped out at me. There were many. This book is a classic for a reason and I’m sorry it took me so long to read it. Even sorrier still that I am today years old when I realized the insult in the black community to be an “Uncle Tom” is a miscategorization and a fundamental misunderstanding of the protagonist’s true nature. Then again, he is a heroic and pious black man whose virtue is heavily due to his virtuosity, written by a white woman in the pre-abolitionist South after hearing and being inspired by the story of a real slave. Still, I think the legacy of the colloquialism is too harsh, considering the strides this book made in changing people’s hearts and minds.
Big huge summary for future me’s recollection, notes taken as I read (in-depth spoilers from here on)
Mrs. Shelby is dismissive of Eliza’s fears. Eliza is a favored house slave, raised from girlhood in the Christian ways. Mr and Mrs Shelby own Eliza. Eliza is married to George who has a mean owner; lent him out (heard he was a great asset) and brought him back to do back-breaking mule work out of spite. His plan is to flee to Canada and work for the means to buy his wife and son, Harry.
Except Mr Shelby arranges to sell Tom and Harry. Mrs Shelby is beside herself in a way of someone losing a pet to distance.
Eliza Warns Tom, leaves him with a message for her husband, and runs away. Mrs is overjoyed, but Mr sets his house and resources to finding the oily Trader Hayley’s property.
They see her leap over a river and scuttle away; later while regrouping, Hayley enlists freelance slave catchers. Hayley claims 10% of the profits for Eliza’s (eventual) return and smacks his forehead repeatedly over the rotten deal (buying her child and now they’re gone).
Senator John and his wife Mary discuss new legislation. Shes horrified at the new law to not aid and abet run away slaves with a place to stay and a meal before they go, John tries to make her see the sense, the public evil, the reputation she will bring upon them; Mary’s not having it. John argues for the legislation but when Elizabeth stumbles upon his door and his wife helps her, he does not resist, and introspects about the humanity of the law
Elsewhere in Kentucky, Tom is taken away by Hayley. The shopkeeper on the outskirts of town selling them hang shackles is shocked to see Shelby’s Tom with another master. Young master George Shelby swears he won’t partake in slave trading and will get Tom back when he’s a man. Hayley is an oily bastard.
George is mullato actually, and runs away. An old man entreats him but he says a passionate speech about fairness and how negros have no god in this country
Hayley buys a son away from his mother and continues on his way
He buys a woman named Lucy away from her husband and barters for her baby; Calling negros pups or critters all the while. They’re on a boat.
Lucy reacts with mute horror and despair, Hayley doesn’t care. Tom is watching the whole thing, and considers this a Cruelty against god. Lucy kills herself during the night, jumping into the water. Tom tells Hayley when pressed. Hayley is unsurprised and feels as if His luck is sour.
Rachel Hallidays idyllic home in Indiana. Eliza and George are reunited. Mr Halliday says he has such sympathy for all creatures (even slaveholders)
Tom is there? Or he is elsewhere, learning to read the Bible in a relatively peaceful place.
There’s a blonde blue eyed beautiful child clad in unimpeached white; they’re on a boat. Tom, like everyone, is fascinated by her angelic nature. Sometimes she holds the chains of the slaves and sighs. Sometimes she feeds them nuts and berries. She falls overboard and Tom saves her so Mr Sinclair buys him
Marie Sinclair feels neglected by her slave Mammy, who married a fellow who belonged to someone else and would never see— “I’m sickly but if she had the chance she would be with her husband and child if she could! Selfish creature” Ophelia listens.
In chapter 18 they admonish a slave woman for buying booze with her “earnings” (raffle tickets her master gives them all in exchange for a job aptly done) and getting drunk to numb the pain; they set her against Tom, the more morally upright and a teetotaler to boot. She who has been whipped to the point she can’t wear dresses anymore, is dubbed a lazy and wild creature that shouldn’t be around “good whites“ by her mistress Marie Sinclair. her name is prue. Tom asks if she knows Jesus, if she finds comfort in knowing her immortal soul will go to heaven. Prue says that’s where white people go and she would prefer the eternal torment just to be away from them. She drinks heavily again and in retaliation, Sinclair hands beat her to death in the cellar. Sinclair, upon hearing this, reacts as though it was to be expected.
Ophelia (who first observes Sinclair as unchristian) talks with Sinclair, who doesn’t believe slavery is just per se, but the natural order of things, in a fashion.
Chapter 20 & The tragedy of Topsy the self-proclaimed wicked and parentless urchin and her being compared to Eva, the purest of the pure. Ophelia urges Topsy to behave to no avail.
The Shelby’s discuss the “litter” Chloe has on Tom. Chloe immerses and begs her mistress to let her work part-time elsewhere and put away her earnings for the Shelby’s to buy Tom back
Meanwhile Tom is chillin, having a good old time with his little ward Eva, and the rest of the relatively dignified Sinclairs. Eva asks Marie why the slaves aren’t allowed to read, doesn’t like the answers, and so endeavors to teach Mammy to read in secret. A cousin beats his slave in front of Eva, which horrifies her. There’s nothing she can say to get through to him. Indeed he (Alfred) and Augustine discuss how lesser beings shouldn’t be able to read or vote or govern themselves.
Eva has a cough and dies, which is a big ol to do. Sinclair loses his faith in god and discusses this with Tom. He realizes that all he had done was for Eva and now he has no purpose— he begins the process of emancipating Tom as Eva requested before her death. He’s annoyed that Tom is happy about the news that he is about to be a free man “did I treat you so terribly? If your lot so bad here?” And Tom bites his tongue from saying “bitch I got a wife and kids elsewhere of COURSE I wanna get gone!!!” Sinclair is about to heel turn or die.
Ophelia asks Sinclair to give her Topsy so that she might free her and save her soul. Sinclair is noted but does it as immediately as his cousin asks.
In chapter 28 Sinclair discusses mass emancipation. “And who would educate these creatures? Indeed WE are too lazy to form them into men— to institute such programs, or seriously consider emancipation to begin with seeing as things are simpler for us the way it is. And could we, even the Christian’s, stomach them within our towns? Our schools?”
Sinclair goes out, Tom wants to go with but Sinclair wants to be alone. Tom thinks about buying his family’s freedom with his imminent emancipation, and muses about Eva. He falls asleep. When he wakes, the house is being assaulted by a team of men, during the cover of evening. Sinclair is stabbed by one of the assailants; there’s chaos. Tom is by Sinclair’s death bed and he murmurs “I’m dying”. Tom isn’t panicked for some reason— I would be! He hadn’t freed him yet!!
Now left to Marie Sinclair, the slaves are worse off. Women are sent to the whipping house to be brutalized by men, and Tom and some others are sold, despite Ophelia’s pleas to Marie on their behalf. Eva and Augustine’s final wishes weren’t enough to sway Marie.
Simon Legree is their new master and he’s a hard man. He sells all of Tom’s things straight away and degrades all his purchases to strangers while he drinks
The conditions are tough, the slave hands are pitted against each other. He picks on Tom because he doesn’t like the way of him; he wants him to flog a woman slave but he refuses. Legree is like I own you body and soul, but Tom’s like you don’t own my soul & I said no! He’s locked up in the pokey and a few women (namely Casey) steal in in the dead of night to give him water and tell a sad story about how legree orchestrated her capture, used her children as bargaining chips, kept them all intentionally out of her reach, and drove her to killing her last newborn before finally buying a new 15 year old to replace her in his bed.
Legree’s mother loved him but he was a brash boy who traveled often and spurned her until he heard tell of her death second hand. Seeing the lock of Evangeline’s hair in Tom’s keepsake triggers him and reminds him of his dead mom.
Emmaline and Casey escape; elsewhere George and Eliza approach freedom crossing Lake Erie. Legree beats Tom to death for “helping em and cas escape”. Young massa George Shelby, who is a grown man now, is too late to bring Tom home. Tearfully says goodbye to his pious friend, then punches Legree out as he leaves with the body.
Ghosts haunt Legree. But it’s actually Casey. He drinks profusely.
Elsewhere George and Eliza have another child, free in Canada! Their family is intact and freedom suits their son. George’s mullato sister madam Emily De Tua, tracks him down and rejoices in their reunion.
Casey finds family ?? Finds George and Eliza?? Emily has money enough to take the whole family from Canada to France where George attends four years of college. George is like fuck America I’m not American I’m an African! I would like my skin darker, and fuck my white dad (more eloquently, in a letter to his friends) he predicts Haiti’s continued destabilization because of how the nation came to be— he strives to find his people, and he does. The family goes to Africa. And so (separately) does Casey and Topsey, an eventual baptized teacher of scripture.
George Shelby swears he will never own a slave if he could free them— and spreads Tom’s love amidst those who would miss him, praising his faith and steadfast nature.
Lastly, Beecher Stowe pops off in the epilogue, demands accountability and mentions the legitimate need of reparations. There’s a lot of Christian Republican (pre switch) rhetoric in there— the enclaves can only come to god if lead by a kind and faithful master but when has the just and good outnumbered the wicked and evil? And so on.
Big huge summary for future me’s recollection, notes taken as I read (in-depth spoilers from here on)
Mrs. Shelby is dismissive of Eliza’s fears. Eliza is a favored house slave, raised from girlhood in the Christian ways. Mr and Mrs Shelby own Eliza. Eliza is married to George who has a mean owner; lent him out (heard he was a great asset) and brought him back to do back-breaking mule work out of spite. His plan is to flee to Canada and work for the means to buy his wife and son, Harry.
Except Mr Shelby arranges to sell Tom and Harry. Mrs Shelby is beside herself in a way of someone losing a pet to distance.
Eliza Warns Tom, leaves him with a message for her husband, and runs away. Mrs is overjoyed, but Mr sets his house and resources to finding the oily Trader Hayley’s property.
They see her leap over a river and scuttle away; later while regrouping, Hayley enlists freelance slave catchers. Hayley claims 10% of the profits for Eliza’s (eventual) return and smacks his forehead repeatedly over the rotten deal (buying her child and now they’re gone).
Senator John and his wife Mary discuss new legislation. Shes horrified at the new law to not aid and abet run away slaves with a place to stay and a meal before they go, John tries to make her see the sense, the public evil, the reputation she will bring upon them; Mary’s not having it. John argues for the legislation but when Elizabeth stumbles upon his door and his wife helps her, he does not resist, and introspects about the humanity of the law
Elsewhere in Kentucky, Tom is taken away by Hayley. The shopkeeper on the outskirts of town selling them hang shackles is shocked to see Shelby’s Tom with another master. Young master George Shelby swears he won’t partake in slave trading and will get Tom back when he’s a man. Hayley is an oily bastard.
George is mullato actually, and runs away. An old man entreats him but he says a passionate speech about fairness and how negros have no god in this country
Hayley buys a son away from his mother and continues on his way
He buys a woman named Lucy away from her husband and barters for her baby; Calling negros pups or critters all the while. They’re on a boat.
Lucy reacts with mute horror and despair, Hayley doesn’t care. Tom is watching the whole thing, and considers this a Cruelty against god. Lucy kills herself during the night, jumping into the water. Tom tells Hayley when pressed. Hayley is unsurprised and feels as if His luck is sour.
Rachel Hallidays idyllic home in Indiana. Eliza and George are reunited. Mr Halliday says he has such sympathy for all creatures (even slaveholders)
Tom is there? Or he is elsewhere, learning to read the Bible in a relatively peaceful place.
There’s a blonde blue eyed beautiful child clad in unimpeached white; they’re on a boat. Tom, like everyone, is fascinated by her angelic nature. Sometimes she holds the chains of the slaves and sighs. Sometimes she feeds them nuts and berries. She falls overboard and Tom saves her so Mr Sinclair buys him
Marie Sinclair feels neglected by her slave Mammy, who married a fellow who belonged to someone else and would never see— “I’m sickly but if she had the chance she would be with her husband and child if she could! Selfish creature” Ophelia listens.
In chapter 18 they admonish a slave woman for buying booze with her “earnings” (raffle tickets her master gives them all in exchange for a job aptly done) and getting drunk to numb the pain; they set her against Tom, the more morally upright and a teetotaler to boot. She who has been whipped to the point she can’t wear dresses anymore, is dubbed a lazy and wild creature that shouldn’t be around “good whites“ by her mistress Marie Sinclair. her name is prue. Tom asks if she knows Jesus, if she finds comfort in knowing her immortal soul will go to heaven. Prue says that’s where white people go and she would prefer the eternal torment just to be away from them. She drinks heavily again and in retaliation, Sinclair hands beat her to death in the cellar. Sinclair, upon hearing this, reacts as though it was to be expected.
Ophelia (who first observes Sinclair as unchristian) talks with Sinclair, who doesn’t believe slavery is just per se, but the natural order of things, in a fashion.
Chapter 20 & The tragedy of Topsy the self-proclaimed wicked and parentless urchin and her being compared to Eva, the purest of the pure. Ophelia urges Topsy to behave to no avail.
The Shelby’s discuss the “litter” Chloe has on Tom. Chloe immerses and begs her mistress to let her work part-time elsewhere and put away her earnings for the Shelby’s to buy Tom back
Meanwhile Tom is chillin, having a good old time with his little ward Eva, and the rest of the relatively dignified Sinclairs. Eva asks Marie why the slaves aren’t allowed to read, doesn’t like the answers, and so endeavors to teach Mammy to read in secret. A cousin beats his slave in front of Eva, which horrifies her. There’s nothing she can say to get through to him. Indeed he (Alfred) and Augustine discuss how lesser beings shouldn’t be able to read or vote or govern themselves.
Eva has a cough and dies, which is a big ol to do. Sinclair loses his faith in god and discusses this with Tom. He realizes that all he had done was for Eva and now he has no purpose— he begins the process of emancipating Tom as Eva requested before her death. He’s annoyed that Tom is happy about the news that he is about to be a free man “did I treat you so terribly? If your lot so bad here?” And Tom bites his tongue from saying “bitch I got a wife and kids elsewhere of COURSE I wanna get gone!!!” Sinclair is about to heel turn or die.
Ophelia asks Sinclair to give her Topsy so that she might free her and save her soul. Sinclair is noted but does it as immediately as his cousin asks.
In chapter 28 Sinclair discusses mass emancipation. “And who would educate these creatures? Indeed WE are too lazy to form them into men— to institute such programs, or seriously consider emancipation to begin with seeing as things are simpler for us the way it is. And could we, even the Christian’s, stomach them within our towns? Our schools?”
Sinclair goes out, Tom wants to go with but Sinclair wants to be alone. Tom thinks about buying his family’s freedom with his imminent emancipation, and muses about Eva. He falls asleep. When he wakes, the house is being assaulted by a team of men, during the cover of evening. Sinclair is stabbed by one of the assailants; there’s chaos. Tom is by Sinclair’s death bed and he murmurs “I’m dying”. Tom isn’t panicked for some reason— I would be! He hadn’t freed him yet!!
Now left to Marie Sinclair, the slaves are worse off. Women are sent to the whipping house to be brutalized by men, and Tom and some others are sold, despite Ophelia’s pleas to Marie on their behalf. Eva and Augustine’s final wishes weren’t enough to sway Marie.
Simon Legree is their new master and he’s a hard man. He sells all of Tom’s things straight away and degrades all his purchases to strangers while he drinks
The conditions are tough, the slave hands are pitted against each other. He picks on Tom because he doesn’t like the way of him; he wants him to flog a woman slave but he refuses. Legree is like I own you body and soul, but Tom’s like you don’t own my soul & I said no! He’s locked up in the pokey and a few women (namely Casey) steal in in the dead of night to give him water and tell a sad story about how legree orchestrated her capture, used her children as bargaining chips, kept them all intentionally out of her reach, and drove her to killing her last newborn before finally buying a new 15 year old to replace her in his bed.
Legree’s mother loved him but he was a brash boy who traveled often and spurned her until he heard tell of her death second hand. Seeing the lock of Evangeline’s hair in Tom’s keepsake triggers him and reminds him of his dead mom.
Emmaline and Casey escape; elsewhere George and Eliza approach freedom crossing Lake Erie. Legree beats Tom to death for “helping em and cas escape”. Young massa George Shelby, who is a grown man now, is too late to bring Tom home. Tearfully says goodbye to his pious friend, then punches Legree out as he leaves with the body.
Ghosts haunt Legree. But it’s actually Casey. He drinks profusely.
Elsewhere George and Eliza have another child, free in Canada! Their family is intact and freedom suits their son. George’s mullato sister madam Emily De Tua, tracks him down and rejoices in their reunion.
Casey finds family ?? Finds George and Eliza?? Emily has money enough to take the whole family from Canada to France where George attends four years of college. George is like fuck America I’m not American I’m an African! I would like my skin darker, and fuck my white dad (more eloquently, in a letter to his friends) he predicts Haiti’s continued destabilization because of how the nation came to be— he strives to find his people, and he does. The family goes to Africa. And so (separately) does Casey and Topsey, an eventual baptized teacher of scripture.
George Shelby swears he will never own a slave if he could free them— and spreads Tom’s love amidst those who would miss him, praising his faith and steadfast nature.
Lastly, Beecher Stowe pops off in the epilogue, demands accountability and mentions the legitimate need of reparations. There’s a lot of Christian Republican (pre switch) rhetoric in there— the enclaves can only come to god if lead by a kind and faithful master but when has the just and good outnumbered the wicked and evil? And so on.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Violence
Moderate: Torture