Uncle Tom's Cabin (Classic Fiction)

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Summary: A Book With A Purpose
Review: The book Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe was written for a purpose; it was not meant to be merely entertaining for its readers. Stowe wrote it in order to show its readers how awful and degrading slavery is to people and mankind. Harriet Beecher Stowe hated the "peculiar institution," and she wanted others to see why she hated it. It is an entertaining and exciting book that causes readers to feel as if they are a part of the story. The way it is written allows readers almost be able to relate to the slaves and feel the torture and pain that they felt in the story. The slave owners were portrayed as heartless devilish men, and the slaves were portrayed as their victims. Readers are able to feel emotions towards many of the characters. For instance, readers end up hating Simon Legree, the cruel slave owner. They feel pity and sadness when he treats Tom, the good, unfortunate slave, cruelly. Another example is of the feeling of love and pity that readers tend to feel towards the saintlike child, Eva. Though Stowe's writing came across as preachy at times, I found the book to be very well written with a clever plot. It is educational to its readers by helping them to see the way life was for different people in the time period in which the book took place. The book was a bestseller when it was first released to the public. It caused much conflict and uproar over the subject of slavery. In many cases Stowe's reason for writing the book served its purpose. Many people became supporters of abolition because of this book. It was interesting for me to read it knowing that it was one of the causes of our country's Civil War. I could understand why it caused so much controversy between the North and the South when I read it. Uncle Tom's Cabin is definately interesting and worth reading.

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Summary: Should be required reading in all United States highschools
Review: The legend goes that when Abraham Lincoln met Harriett Beecher Stowe, he said to her, "So you're the little lady who started this great big war." The impact of this book cannot be overstated. By showing the kind and compassionate slaveholding families, as well as the horrors inflicted upon Uncle Tom by Simon Legree, Stowe illustrates that the institution, by its very nature, can never be kind or compassionate despite the actions of the individual slaveholders.
The book begins as Uncle Tom is sold to a slave trader. Though Mr. Shelby, his master, hates to sell him because he has been loyal and Christian, he recognizes that he has no choice based on large debts he has accumulated. Simultaneously, Mr. Shelby decides to sell a three-year-old boy, Harry. Learning this, Harry's mother, Eliza, escapes with this boy and heads north for Canada. Stowe continues to outline the diverging fates of Eliza and Tom throughout the novel.
Tom is sold to a kind family with a nearly divine daughter, named, aptly, Evangeline, who convinces her father to free his slaves. Before this can happen, her father is killed and Tom is sold to the brutal Simon Legree.
Stowe has been criticized for her racism, which does come through in her storytelling. She often refers to the steadfast faith common to people of African decent and makes other sweeping generalities. However, this story cannot be taken out of context and one cannot disregard the era during which it was written. Stowe was heroic to depict the gamut of possible treatments of slaves, and portray slavery as nearly equally cruel no matter how kind the master. The fact remains that no matter how kind an individual slave holder was, slaves were still subjected to having their families ripped apart when dictated by economic need or by death of their masters. By not depicting all masters as ogres, Stowe's abolitionist message rings more truthfully and convincingly. Lest we ever forget just what it meant to own another person, in all its various vestiges, every high school student in America should be required to read this novel.

Rating:
Summary: Uncle Tom's Cabin
Review: The reason why Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin was to let the North know what was going on in the South with slavery . Black families were broken apart and sold, young girls and women were taken advantage of by white owners, some were beaten to death by their owners and slaves could be treated anyway the owner wanted because they were not citizens. The white women characters cared more about the slaves than the white men. They didn't want to sell or break up families.
Uncle Tom was an uncommonly good and honest man and devouted Christian. He was sold when his owner needed money. At first he was sold to a man who was ok, but then he was sold to Simon Legree. Legree was a mean man. When Tom was a slave for Legree he was beaten to the point of death. Everyone should read this book because it gives you an idea of what happened at the time of slavery.

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Summary: Beyond the term "classic"
Review: This book is beyond the term "classic." I tend to think of classic books as those you're made to read in school. We didn't have to read this one--I came upon it by myself. The book is a tale of adversity in the struggle for freedom, a look into human cruelty as well as human compassion, and one man's loyalty to those he is indentured to. The novel is set in a period just before the Civil War; during the time when the black people of America were not citizens, and had no rights. In the south during this time, the blacks were forced to work hard labor on plantations and were required to live in small dorms outside of their owner's homes. However, the novel is more than just a narrative of slaves, but of human emotion rising up in the face of adversity. It is a story of the fight for freedom, and an account of the history of America. The author brings out the humanity in the slaves, and describes the great injustices that took place during the time. The characters of this book are strong, resourceful, and respectable. If you're interested in race and racial relations also try "Raising Fences" and "The Bark of the Dogwood."

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Summary: Uncle Tom's Must-Read
Review: This is one of the greatest literary works that I have ever had the pleasure of reading. The many different view points that are brought into action cause the reader to partially understand reasons of how the evil came to be evil, and the deprived came upon their lowly state.
The story begins on a Kentucky plantation, where the owner, Mr.Shelby, has to sell his two more valuable slaves, Uncle Tom and Harry. Harry is five years old and his mother has to save him from his doomed fate. Tom stays to pay for his masters debt. The story follows Uncle Tom's life after his sale, and Harry's mother, Eliza's, new lives after this life-changing event.
The story of Uncle Tom's Cabin is truly remarkable. What makes the story so powerful is that the views presented are the real thoughts and questions once brought up by people of the era. The story includes all aspects of the slave trade. Everything from the trader himself to the feelings of separated families is explained in detail. If you want a non-history book view of what really happened before the Civil War, it is unthinkable to miss Uncle Tom's Cabin.

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Summary: Jessica's Review
Review: Uncle Tom's Cabin is a compelling novel of the powerful thoughts and feelings of Harriet Beecher Stowe during a time when slavery was the main aspect of life for many and the intolerable and unaccepted thoughts of others. This story is a true American classic delving deep into the hearts of citizens and challenging the authority and government of the United States in the mid-1800's. Telling of a kind, elderly slave by the name of Tom, this tale told of Tom's adventure through slavery and the cruel people involved with the practice. Concluding the novel, Tom comes to a devastating end.

I thought that in this book, Harriet Beecher Stowe explained slavery in America better than anyone could have. This is partly because she lived during the time period and the war and conflicts that followed the publication of her timeless account.