The way in which I have interpreted the ending of Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin is such that the
narrator, Stowe, is hopeful about the future in the south. This is to say,
while this book was undoubtedly written to raise awareness of the horrors that
occurred during slavery in the south, there are hints display that the future
is bright. Stowe not only urges her audience to be virtuous and free their
slaves immediately, but she also feels some sense of hope thanks to the
innocence that children of slave-owning families display toward slaves. Eva St.
Clare is the most pure, good-hearted character in this story. The daughter of a
slave-owner, Eva spreads cheer to all the slaves and is always good to them.
Eva even asks her father to make arrangements for Uncle Tom and the rest of the
slaves before he dies, which he unfortunately neglects to do. This results in
Tom’s vicious treatment toward the end of his life under a new, cruel master.
The lesson itself is quite simple here - make arrangements to have your slaves freed
or they will be thrown back into the harsh conditions that existed only in
slavery.
Though Eva is likely the most moral and virtuous character in
this piece, another extremely moral child, Master George, also displays why
there is hope that slavery will soon be abolished. Though we did not read the
entire novel in class, there is a section at the beginning of the book where
George Shelby Jr. (the son of Tom’s previous owner) displays his disapproval of
slavery. He promises that he will one day grow to be successful so he can buy
Tom back. Evidently, Master George stays true to his word as he is finally able
to get to Tom. However, his efforts were too little too late as he arrives just
after Tom passes. The anthology notes that George is “inspired by Tom’s
Christ-like goodness to emancipate all the slaves on the Kentucky plantation” (Stowe,
904). As he does rescue Cassy and Eliza, he shows that he is also an inherently
good being and that he stays true to his word. These two examples show that
children are beginning to recognize that slavery is intrinsically detestable.
Their kind actions towards those who have had to endure slavery are an indication
that Stowe is hopeful for abolishing slavery in the near future.
That's an interesting theme to point out. It does seem like, in general, children are kept naïve and innocent. When they do take up an opinion on slavery, they always believe that slavery is wrong.
ReplyDeleteI think that part of this has to do with a different theme: people aren't born mean, but they become mean over time. There was quite a bit of emphasis on the past of the characters, and slave-holding ones are often shown discussing their method of control based on what they've seen and/or done. Children are not necessarily a blank slate, but rather a blank state of good that is corrupted by the institution. Redemption is possible, but one should expect it more from a child than someone ingrained in the system.