by Beachbumwriter

Created on: September 24, 2011

Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe sold like wildfire throughout the northern states and around the world bringing to the non-slave holding reader the reality of life as a slave.  Although many slaves had written narratives, it was a story of Uncle Tom, a fictional slave, who morally pushed the nation closer to war. 

Uncle Tom was a faithful servant first and foremost to God and then to his family, fellow slaves, and his master.  He was the martyr whose sacrifices ensured others weaker than him would not suffer.  For example when his master was put into a dilemma where he had to choose whether to sell all of his slaves or to only sell Tom who would bring in the most money, Tom went knowing that his sacrifice saved his wife, children and fellow slaves from being sold at auction.

When working on the plantation, Tom would give a portion of his cotton to a weaker slave woman who could not work as hard.  He took lashings for it and refused to lash her when ordered by his evil master Legree.  Tom admitted to Legree that he knew the whereabouts of two women who Legree had forced to be mistresses but Tom refused to reveal information causing Legree to beat him to death.  Tom chose death over sin.

Tom was not only a religious martyr, but a leader.  At his home in Kentucky, Tom was the manager of the field hands.  He treated all justly and led religious services in his cabin.  All the slaves looked up to him, and his master relied on him for his hard work and leadership.  Once on Legree’s plantation, Tom continued to teach the slaves the gospel, and lead them by his own actions.  He converted slaves to Christianity, even on his deathbed.

Tom thought of Jesus’ sufferings when he was at his darkest moments on the plantation, and it gave him strength.  Tom was the symbol of God and the plantation slaveholder, Legree, was the symbol of the devil. For all readers who could be moved by their religion, Uncle Tom’s Cabin splintered the nation into war.

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