Written in response to the second Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, the novel is often considered as a singularly important abolitionist intervention and as a persuasive voice in the anti-slavery struggle - albeit at the expense of having created some of the most powerful stereotypes of African Americans. Many of Stowe’s arguments-about equality before God, the necessities of nonviolence and Christian love-might be extended to a discussion of the place of women in America, where white women also did not at the time have the right to vote.This essay provides an introduction to Harriet Beecher Stowe’s sentimental reform novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin (in the following: UTC), places the text in its historical context, and sketches its nineteenth- and twentieth-century reception history. Indeed, it is difficult to read the inspiring language of equality and freedom in the novel without applying it to the rights of all women in society, black and white. White women understand these problems because they have children of their own. Black women see their children taken away and can themselves be sold into sexual bondage. Cassy and Emmeline also form a kind of mother-daughter relationship as they escape to Canada together, and are eventually reunited with their blood relatives.īeecher Stowe strongly implies that women are more affected by the horrors of slavery than are men. Shelby are paired: both are caring mothers, and when Eliza flees to protect her child, Mrs. Mammy, Eva's favorite servant, serves as a counterpoint to both-she is boisterous and committed to helping the St. Clare, on the other hand, is indulgent, lazy, quick to blame others, and her Christianity is merely performance. Miss Ophelia herself believes in duty as a manifestation of love and Christian charity she finds slavery repugnant but must learn, through Topsy, to actually interact with blacks. After Eva's death, Topsy grows (with Miss Ophelia's help) into a Christian woman. Eva is fair-skinned and beautiful, generous, deeply religious, and always kind she becomes an example to the uneducated, “heathenish” Topsy. The social role and importance of women, both white and black, is emphasized throughout the novel, and female characters are often linked by interaction and influence. Uncle Tom's Cabin contains numerous strong female characters.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |