Theme : Novel Analysis
Book Title : Uncle Tom's Cabin
Author : Harriet Beecher Stowe
Analyzed by : Hariratuz Zakiya'
CHAPTER I
PLOT
ANALYSIS OF “UNCLE TOM’S CABIN”
1.
Exposition
Having run up large debts, a
Kentucky farmer named Arthur Shelby faces the prospect of losing everything he
owns. Though he and his wife, Emily Shelby, have a kindhearted and affectionate
relationship with their slaves, Shelby decides to raise money by selling two of
his slaves to Mr. Haley, a coarse slave trader. The slaves in question are
Uncle Tom, a middle-aged man with a wife and children on the farm, and Harry,
the young son of Mrs. Shelby’s maid Eliza. When Shelby tells his wife about his
agreement with Haley, she is appalled because she has promised Eliza that
Shelby would not sell her son.
However, Eliza overhears
the conversation between Shelby and his wife and, after warning Uncle Tom and
his wife, Aunt Chloe, she takes Harry and flees to the North, hoping to find
freedom with her husband George in Canada. Haley pursues her, but two other Shelby
slaves alert Eliza to the danger. She miraculously evades capture by crossing
the half-frozen Ohio River, the boundary separating Kentucky from the North.
Haley hires a slave hunter named Loker and his gang to bring Eliza and Harry
back to Kentucky. Eliza and Harry make their way to a Quaker settlement, where
the Quakers agree to help transport them to safety. They are joined at the
settlement by George, who reunites joyously with his family for the trip to
Canada.
2. Raising Conflict
Meanwhile, Uncle Tom
sadly leaves his family and Mas’r George, Shelby’s young son and Tom’s friend,
as Haley takes him to a boat on the Mississippi to be transported to a slave
market. On the boat, Tom meets an angelic little white girl named Eva, who
quickly befriends him. When Eva falls into the river, Tom dives in to save her,
and her father, Augustine St. Clare, gratefully agrees to buy Tom from Haley.
Tom travels with the St. Clares to their home in New Orleans, where he grows
increasingly invaluable to the St. Clare household and increasingly close to
Eva, with whom he shares a devout Christianity.
Up North, George and
Eliza remain in flight from Loker and his men. When Loker attempts to capture
them, George shoots him in the side, and the other slave hunters retreat. Eliza
convinces George and the Quakers to bring Loker to the next settlement, where
he can be healed. Meanwhile, in New Orleans, St. Clare discusses slavery with
his cousin Ophelia, who opposes slavery as an institution but harbors deep
prejudices against blacks. St. Clare, by contrast, feels no hostility against
blacks but tolerates slavery because he feels powerless to change it. To help
Ophelia overcome her bigotry, he buys Topsy, a young black girl who was abused
by her past master and arranges for Ophelia to begin educating her.
3. Climax
After Tom has lived with
the St. Clares for two years, Eva grows very ill. She slowly weakens, then
dies, with a vision of heaven before her. Her death has a profound effect on
everyone who knew her: Ophelia resolves to love the slaves, Topsy learns to
trust and feel attached to others, and St. Clare decides to set Tom free.
However, before he can act on his decision, St. Clare is stabbed to death while
trying to settle a brawl. As he dies, he at last finds God and goes to be
reunited with his mother in heaven.
St. Clare’s cruel wife,
Marie, sells Tom to a vicious plantation owner named Simon Legree. Tom is taken
to rural Louisiana with a group of new slaves, including Emmeline, whom the
demonic Legree has purchased to use as a sex slave, replacing his previous sex
slave Cassy. Legree takes a strong dislike to Tom when Tom refuses to whip a
fellow slave as ordered. Tom receives a severe beating, and Legree resolves to
crush his faith in God. Tom meets Cassy, and hears her story. Separated from
her daughter by slavery, she became pregnant again but killed the child because
she could not stand to have another child taken from her.
4. End
Around this time, with
the help of Tom Loker—now a changed man after being healed by the Quakers—George,
Eliza, and Harry at last cross over into Canada from Lake Erie and obtain their
freedom. In Louisiana, Tom’s faith is sorely tested by his hardships, and he
nearly ceases to believe. He has two visions, however—one of Christ and one of
Eva—which renew his spiritual strength and give him the courage to withstand
Legree’s torments. He encourages Cassy to escape. She does so, taking Emmeline
with her, after she devises a ruse in which she and Emmeline pretend to be
ghosts. When Tom refuses to tell Legree where Cassy and Emmeline have gone,
Legree orders his overseers to beat him. When Tom is near death, he forgives
Legree and the overseers. George Shelby arrives with money in hand to buy Tom’s
freedom, but he is too late. He can only watch as Tom dies a martyr’s death.
Taking a boat toward
freedom, Cassy and Emmeline meet George Harris’s sister and travel with her to
Canada, where Cassy realizes that Eliza is her long-lost daughter. The newly
reunited family travels to France and decides to move to Liberia, the African
nation created for former American slaves. George Shelby returns to the
Kentucky farm, where, after his father’s death, he sets all the slaves free in
honor of Tom’s memory. He urges them to think on Tom’s sacrifice every time
they look at his cabin and to lead a pious Christian life, just as Tom did.
CHAPTER II
CHARACTER ANALYSIS OF “UNCLE TOM’S CABIN”
1.
PROTAGONIST
a. Uncle Tom
He is a good and pious man, Even under the worst
conditions, Uncle Tom always prays to God and finds a way to keep his faith.
b. Aunt Chloe
She is Uncle Tom’s wife and the Shelbys’ cook.
Chloe often acts like a jovial simpleton around the Shelbys to mask her more
complex feelings.
c.
Arthur
Shelby
Tom's master in Kentucky. Shelby is characterized as a
"kind" slaveowner and a stereotypical Southern gentleman.
d.
Emily Shelby
Mr. Shelby’s wife, Emily Shelby is a loving,
Christian woman who does not believe in slavery. She uses her influence with her
husband to try to help the Shelbys’ slaves and is one of the novel’s many
morally virtuous and insightful female characters.
e.
George Shelby
Called “Mas’r George” by Uncle Tom, George is
the Shelbys’ good-hearted son. He loves Tom and promises to rescue him from the
cruelty into which his father sold him. After Tom dies, he resolves to free all
the slaves on the family farm in Kentucky. More morally committed than his
father, George not only possesses a kind heart but acts on his principles.
f. Eliza Harris
Mrs. Shelby's personal maid, the wife of George and the
mother of little Harry. Eliza is a beautiful quadroon, meaning she is
three-quarters white, and has a very spiritual and docile nature. She risks
everything however, when she discovers that her son has been sold.
g. Augustine St. Clare
Tom's
master in New Orleans. He is is a very rich, romantic man who becomes very fond
of Tom when he saves his daughter from drowning. St. Clare is an unstable man
looking for faith, and Tom tries to aid him. He promises Tom his freedom, but
unfortunately is killed in a bar before he can sign the papers.
h. Eva St. Clare
St. Clare and Marie’s angelic daughter. Eva,
also referred to in the book as Little Eva (her given name is Evangeline) is
presented as an absolutely perfect child—a completely moral being and an
unimpeachable Christian. She laments the existence of slavery and sees no
difference between blacks and whites. After befriending Tom while still a young
girl, Eva becomes one of the most important figures in his life.
i.
Miss Ophelia
St. Clare’s cousin from the North (Vermont) who
comes to help him manage the household, Ophelia opposes slavery in the abstract.
However, she finds actual slaves somewhat distasteful and harbors considerable
prejudice against them. After Eva’s death, and through her relationship with
Topsy, Ophelia realizes her failings and learns to see slaves as human beings.
2.
ANTAGONIS
a.
Simon
Legree
Uncle Tom's evil and tyrranical final master. Legree is a
Yankee who has moved to the South to make his money in the plantation business.
An alcoholic, he brutalizes his slaves and forces them to live in sqaulid
conditions. Because he does not have the respect of other slave-owners, Legree
wants his slaves to grovel before him.
b.
Mr. Haley
The slave trader who
buys Uncle Tom and Harry from Mr. Shelby. A gruff, coarse man, Haley presents
himself as a kind individual who treats his slaves well. Haley, however,
mistreats his slaves, often violently.
c.
Marie
St. Clare
Augustine's wife, who was once a
popular Southern belle. Now, she is a hypochondiac who cares about no one but
herself. She disapproves of her husband and daughter's close relations with the
slaves and sells Tom and eleven others when her husband dies.
3.
MAJOR
CHARACTERS
a.
Uncle
Tom
b. Aunt Chloe
c.
Arthur
Shelby
d.
Emily
Shelby
e.
George
Shelby
f.
Eliza
Harris
g.
Augustine
St. Clare
h.
Eva
St. Clare
i.
Miss
Ophelia
j.
Simon
Legree
k.
Mr.
Haley
l.
Marie
St. Clare
4.
MINOR
CHARACTERS
a.
George Harris
Eliza’s husband and an
intellectually curious and talented mulatto, George loves his family deeply and
willingly fights for his freedom. He confronts the slave hunter Tom Loker and
does not hesitate to shoot him when he imperils the family
b.
Harry Harris
He is Eliza and George’s
son, a young boy.
c.
Alfred St. Clare
He is
Augustine St. Clare’s
twin brother. He is a brutal slave owner.
d.
Topsy
the slave girl whom St. Clare bought
for Miss Ophelia to reform. Mistreated all her life, Topsy acts like the
jovial, mischievious sprite she is and does not care what white people or
slaves think of her. Topsy finally learns about love from Little Eva and moves
to the North with Miss Ophelia at the end of the novel.
e.
Senator and Mrs. Bird
Mrs. Bird is another
example of the virtuous woman. She tries to exert influence through her
husband. Senator Bird exemplifies the well-meaning man who is sympathetic to
the abolitionist cause but who nonetheless remains complacent or resigned to
the status quo.
f.
Tom Loker
A slave hunter hired by
Mr. Haley to bring back Eliza, Harry, and George, Tom Loker first appears as a
gruff, violent man. George shoots him when he tries to capture them, and, after
he is healed by the Quakers, Loker experiences a transformation and chooses to
join the Quakers rather than return to his old life.
g.
Cassy
Legree's
mistress and Eliza's mother. She is the only person on the plantation who can
stand up to Legree, and she tries to protect Tom from his wrath. Cassy escapes
the plantation by her shrewd wits, and later is reunited with her daughter.
h.
Emmeline
A young and beautiful
slave girl whom Legree buys for himself, perhaps to replace Cassy as his
mistress. She has been raised as a pious Christian.
i.
Sambo
and Quimbo
Slaves of Simon Legree who act as
overseers of the plantation. On orders from Legree, they savagely whip Tom but
afterward tearfully repent of their deeds to Tom, who forgives them as he lies
dying..
j.
Senator and Mrs. Bird
Mrs. Bird is another
example of the virtuous woman. She tries to exert influence through her
husband. Senator Bird exemplifies the well-meaning man who is sympathetic to
the abolitionist cause but who nonetheless remains complacent or resigned to
the status quo.
CHAPTER III
THE
SETTING ANALYSIS OF “UNCLE TOM’S CABIN”
1.
The Setting of
Time.
a.
Late afternoon
on a cold day in February, Mr. Shelby having business with Haley about selling
his slaves to exchange for the money Haley owed Mr. Shelby.
b.
The next day after Mr.
Shelby and Haley Conversation was a decision time of slave-trade.
c.
February 20th,
there
was a big slave-trade in Slave Market.
d.
Two years since Tom left
Kentucky, his friendship with Eva had grown stronger and stronger.
2.
The Setting of
Place
a.
Kentucky Town, a small town
in Washington, America. Mr. Shelby’s
family and his slaves lived here.
b.
Cincinnati, a large town
in Ohio, a free state.
c.
New Orleans, a large town
in the North America, the center of the slave-trade.
d.
Uncle Tom’s
Cabin,
a small building made from wooden logs. Uncle Tom and his family lived here.
It’s placed very close to Mr. Shelby’s
House.
e.
Senate, a place where
elected politicians meet (in Washington).
f.
Canada, a free Country
in the north of America. Eliza wanted to escape there, because there was no
slavery in Canada.
g.
Jail, a small prison
in Slave market, where slaves placed here.
h.
Court-house, a public
building where the officials decide if a person has done something is against
the law.
i.
Louisville, a town in
Kentucky.
j.
The Mississippi
River,
the most amazing river in America, the first time Tom saw Eva and His Father on
the boat when they were passing this river.
k.
New England, a large town
in South America. St. Clare’s family live here.
l.
Courtyard, a large open
area on the inside of a castle or a large house.
m.
Swamp, an area of
land near a lake or river that was always wet.
CHAPTER IV
THEME
ANALYSIS OF “UNCLE TOM’S CABIN”
The main theme
of this novel is about “the evil and immorality of slavery”.
There are so many immortality slavery in this novel. Mr. Shelby decided to sell
Uncle Tom and Harry because he had run up large debts. That was destroying
Uncle Tom’s family and Harry’s family. Then, Marie St. Clare sold Uncle Tom to
a brutal slave owner, Simon Legree. He brutalized Uncle Tom his other slaves
and forced them to live in squalid conditions.
CHAPTER
V
VALUES IN “UNCLE
TOM’S CABIN”
In this novel is told there were
good slaveries and also immortally slaveries. We can find some values to learn
from this novel. They are about:
ü The struggle of a slave to get a
freedom. She kept her hope until getting her goal. So, do not ever give up until we reach the goal.
ü Freedom is never dear
at any price. It is the breath of life.
ü Freedom means you are
unobstructed in living your life as you choose. Anything less is a form of
slavery.
ü The patience of
a slave who always got immortally conduct as he lived. He always patient even
he often whipped by his cruel master. So, always
be patient even we gets difficulties, sorrows, and suffers as we live.
ü A life of reaction is a life of slavery,
intellectually and spiritually. One must fight for a life of action, not
reaction.
Brief Synopsis of
“Uncle Tom’s Cabin”
A
kentucky farmer, Mr. Shelby and a slave trader, Mr. Haley, discuss how many
slaves Mr. Shelby will need to sell in order to clear up his debt. Despite his
misgivings, Mr. Shelby decides to sell Tom, a faithful and honest man, and
Harry, the son of his wife’s favorite slave, Eliza.
Eliza's husband George Harris,
unaware of Harry's danger, has already escaped, planning to later purchase his
family's freedom. To protect her son, Eliza runs away, making a dramatic escape
over the frozen Ohio River with Harry in her arms. Eventually the Harris family
is reunited and journeys north to Canada.
Tom protects his family by
choosing not to run away so the others may stay together. Sold south, he meets
Topsy, a young, black girl whose mischievous behavior hides her pain; Eva, the
angelic, young, white girl whose death moved Victorians to tears; charming,
elegant but passive St. Clare; and finally, cruel, violent Simon Legree. Tom's
deep faith gives him an inner strength that frustrates his enemies as he moves
toward his fate in Louisiana.
Both Tom and Eliza escape
slavery: Eliza and her family reach Canada; but Tom's freedom comes with death.
Simon Legree, Tom's third and final master, has Tom whipped to death for
refusing to deny his faith or betray the hiding place of two fugitive women.
