The Character of Uncle Tom Essay Example for Free

The Character of Uncle Tom Essay Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel â€Å"Uncle Tom’s Cabin† made such a momentous statement in American culture, at the time it was published, until today, in the 21st century. Some secondary schools had the book banned from their roster of books in their libraries, mainly because of its supposedly controversial nature (The strength of ,2008). The reason why the book has been the root of much controversy is that Ms. Stowe injected a lot of melodrama into her story, to the point that readers considered it a caricature of reality. Some of Ms. Stowe’s detractors contend that she did not sufficiently show the real horror of slavery, but instead, narrating the softer aspect of slavery in her novel (The strength of ,2008). Published in the early 1850’s, Uncle Tom’s Cabin was said to have contributed to the tension in America over slavery, and encouraged the abolitionist movement (The strength of ,2008). Abolitionists are those who fought for the abolition of slavery in America. Ms. Stowe was said to be a woman who was involved in religious and feminist causes (The strength of ,2008). Ms. Stowe’s influence on the American northern states was undisputed. In fact, Uncle Tom’s Cabin was said to have led to Civil War (The strength of ,2008). It is often reported that Ms. Stowe’s purpose in writing the novel was to expose the evils of slavery in the North, where many Americans were not aware of what was actually going on in the rest of their country (The strength of ,2008). The book, amazingly successful by selling 300,000 copies in its first year, inspired President Lincoln, upon meeting Ms. Stowe, to say, â€Å"So this is the little lady who made this big war (The strength of ,2008). † Uncle Tom’s Cabin 4 Despite this, many historians complain that Ms. Stowe’s novel is historically inaccurate, and that Ms. Stowe grossfully exaggerated the evils in slavery so she can drive home her point. These issues remain largely debated, except for one. The character of Uncle Tom has been detrimentally re-created a hundred times over, and in this paper, I will explore the character behind â€Å"Uncle Tom†, and why it has become what it is in today’s times. Uncle Tom has been charged with demeaning African Americans with his overly subservient behavior (The strength of ,2008). Modern times have derided Uncle Tom, and insist that his nature undermines the real struggles of black freedom through ingratiating himself with their white overseers and master. Ironically, I believe that Ms. Stowe created Uncle Tom to illustrate the brutality and cruelty of slavery during those times, and packaging Uncle Tom into a person filled with humility, dignity and ingrained with a strong, Christian faith (Page, 1996). Up until he drew his dying breath, Uncle Tom showed to be morally superior to his white masters by his ability to forgive those who had abused him to the point of death (Page, 1996). Let me introduce you to Uncle Tom. He is one of the long-suffering slaves of Arthur and Emily Shelby, and a dear friend of their very young son, George, who called him Uncle Tom. Faced with the possibility of losing their farm because of debts, the Shelby’s decide to sell Tom, and the son of Mrs. Shelby’s maid, Harry. When the maid, Eliza, finds out about this, she escapes with her son (Allen, 2008). Tom was sold and while traveling on a riverboat, she rescues a white girl, Eva, when she falls into the river. Her father, Augustine St. Clare, bought Tom from the slave trader Uncle Tom’s Cabin 5 and took him to live on their plantation in New Orleans. Meanwhile, Eliza met up with her fugitive husband, George, in an attempt to reach Canada. At that time, they were being hunted by a slave trader named Loker, whom George eventually shoots in a scuffle. Eliza convinced George to bring the wounded Loker to a Quaker settlement nearby, for medical attention (Allen, 2008). In New Orleans, St. Clare tries to prove to his cousin Ophelia that bias against blacks were wrong, and buys a young slave, Topsy, for Ophelia to educate. Eva dies of a protracted illness, and she shared a vision of heaven in her deathbed. People who heard her account changed for the better, and St. Clare vowed to free Uncle Tom. Before he can do so, St. Clare is fatally wounded in a fight. In anger, his wife sold Uncle Tom to a vicious Northern farm owner, Simon Legree (Allen, 2008). Uncle Tom endured endless tortures from Legree, specially when he refused to whip a fellow slave. Tom found refuge in his Christian faith, which he generously comforted the other slaves with. At one point, Uncle Tome refused to divulge to Legree where two fugitive slaves had run to, so Legree ordered him killed. Before he died, Uncle Tom forgave his killers, who, humbled by the experience, became Christians. Arthur Shelby’s son comes to buy Uncle Tom his freedom, but was too late. George went home to his own farm, frees all his slaves, and reminds them to remember Uncle Tom’s sacrifices and his unwavering faith in Christianity (Allen, 2008). Ms. Stowe described Uncle Tom as benevolent, kind, humble and simple (Willis, 2002). Of course, the white masters did everything to destroy a slave’s dignity and self-respect (Willis, 2002). Nevertheless, Uncle Tom kept his morality, and was transparent Uncle Tom’s Cabin 6 about yearning for freedom. This transparency and honesty is NOT the behavior of a subservient slave, who would not dare to venture his desires for freedom, even to a kind master (Willis, 2002). It is high time we re-think â€Å"Uncle Tom. † We should pay tribute to the depth of Uncle Tom’s character, rather than degrade him into an epithet. This development in latter times of deriding Uncle Tom is perhaps one of the most harmful and tragic historical developments in American culture (Allen, 2008). Despite the brutality in his life as a slave, Uncle Tom stood tall at all times. Sometimes, Uncle Tom would annoy readers because of his goodness. In fact, Uncle Tom could’ve run away from Arthur Shelby who trusted him with money. Yet, Uncle Tom never took advantage of Shelby, because of his deep-seated loyalty to his master (Willis, 2002). In the novel, Ms. Stowe does not provide a background on Uncle Tom. Therefore, one doesn’t know whether his loyalty to Shelby was something that was inculcated with him since childhood if he was born in the Shelby plantation (Willis, 2002). However, it is implied in the story that Shelby’s promise of freedom to Uncle Tom could have made Uncle Tom loyal, although Shelby never confirms when he will free Uncle Tom (Willis, 2002). Shelby even betrays Tom by selling him when he ran into debt (Willis, 2002). No matter what, Uncle Tom still continued to trust white people, and trust in God. Many readers disliked this behavior (Willis, 2002). Speaking of faith, Uncle Tom’s unwavering faith was put to the test when St. Clare sold him to Legree. Even though Uncle Tom maintained his loyalty and faithfulness to his master, he did contemplate about escaping (Willis, 2002). To note, escape for Uncel Uncle Tom’s Cabin 7 Tom was not exactly in the physical sense of escape, but in spiritual escape (Willis, 2002). On the other hand, Legree realized that Uncle Tom was a valuable slave who had capacities for large amounts of work. At the same time, Legree also recognized that he would have to break Uncle Tom’s spirit at some point, if he were to maximize Uncle Tom’s value (Willis, 2002). To recall, during their first confrontation, Legree ordered Uncle Tom to whip a slave girl. Uncle Tom refused by honestly telling Legree that his soul will not surrender to a mortal (Willis, 2002). He even egged on Legree by saying that if he died as a result of beatings, then that would just send him faster to heaven (Willis, 2002). This illustrates that Uncle Tom has been contemplating death, and ultimate escape from slavery. He was pragmatic about Legree, though, and knew with a certainty that Legree will not have second thoughts about killing him for resisting (Willis, 2002). A final confrontation yet occurs between Legree and Uncle Tom, when the former asked Uncle Tom to divulge where two runaway slave girls have gone to (Willis, 2002). Ms. Stowe reiterated that as two slaves brought Uncle Tom before Legree, Uncle Tom acknowledged the power of Legree. Yet, at the same time, he affirmed that God gave him the strength to face death, rather than be traitor to the two helpless runaways Legree was after (Willis, 2002). He sat his basket down by the row, and, looking up, said, Into thy hands I commend my spirit! Thou hast redeemed me, oh Lord God of truth (Willis, 2002)† Like Jesus Christ, Uncle Tom resigned to his faith to Legree. Legree symbolizes the Uncle Tom’s Cabin 8 â€Å"evils of slavery†, while Uncle Tom can be likened to the archangel who resisted Satan’s temptations (Willis, 2002). Through this moments, Uncle Tom’s courage, nobility and humility surfaces when he tells Legree that he is able to shed his blood for the sake of the innocent in the same way that Jesus Christ did (Willis, 2002). Legree deals Uncle Tom his death blow. When he died, he had forgiven his killers. Uncle Tom used passive resistance to the hilt until it brought him closer to his God through death. No. Uncle Tom was not an â€Å"Uncle Tom†. Uncle Tom’s was a more puritanical kind of Christianity (The strength of ,2008). Therefore, if a reader is searching for a revolutionary role-model, someone who captains his own fate in the most shaming circumstances, then he/she will not find that hero in Uncle Tom (Younge, 2004). However, one seldom finds revolutionary role models. Uncle Tom’s sense of duty despite his slavery, is depressing. When his wife urges him to escape together with Eliza, he says: Masr always found me on the spot he always will. I never have broke trust and I never will (Younge, 2004). Moreover, his unwillingness to align his principles to everyone’s own good, is frustrating. When tempted by a slave to kill Legree while the latter was drunk, Uncle Tom said: No! good never comes of wickedness. Id sooner chop my right hand off Uncle Tom’s Cabin 9 The Lord hasnt called us to wrath. We must suffer, and wait his time (Younge, 2004). Uncle Tom instilled in us his belief that he would rather wait for his true freedom in heaven, as opposed to fighting for his freedom on earth. I t is from this same well of belief is Uncle Tom able to preserve his basic humanism, despite daily exposure to degradation and deprivation of respect (Younge, 2004). It is in his stoic faith and consistency do we realize Uncle Tom’s integrity (Younge, 2004). Through his integrity, he was able to stand for himself, encourage and comfort his fellow slaves, yet at the same time, restrain himself from abhorring the whites (Younge, 2004). Hecne, to understand why this epitome of dignity, self-respect and faith has becme an epitome for subservience and betrayal, we have to look at politics, film and the theater (Younge, 2004). Stage renditions of Uncle Tom’s Cabin tookaway radical yet subtle anti-slave messages, turning the story into one, big, minstrel show (Younge, 2004). In fact, Uncle Tom was the first cinematic role played by a first lead in a black film in the year 1914 (Younge, 2004).