Book Report on Uncle Toms Cabin.

CIVIL WAR AND RECONSTRUCTION 1. Within a year of its publication in 1852, Uncle Tom’s Cabin sold over 300,000 copies in the United States alone (roughly 7 million copies today), and it easily went on to become the best-selling American novel in the nineteenth century. Using specific examples from the book, why do you think this novel struck such a responsive chord with American readers? 2. At the time of this book’s publication, most white northemers held views of black people that were almost as racist as those of white southemers. Using specific examples from the novel, how was Stowe able to make so many white northemers identify with the enslaved, as well as develop a hatred for the institution of southern slavery? 3. Why do you think Stowe portrayed Uncle Tom in such a faithful and obedient way? How did she do that? What effect do you think this portrayal of Tom had on northern audiences? 4. Hundreds of books and pamphlets had been written prior to Uncle T am is Cabin that attacked southern slavery. Most of these other works had little impact upon the South. What was it about this book that infuriated white southemers so much and made it so hard for them to defend their slave system from the book’s charges? In particular, how did the portrayal of Uncle Tom himself add to their anger and difficulties? 5. What role does Christianity play in this book? Most white southemers at the time defined themselves as devout Christians. Using specific examples from this novel, do you believe that a slaveholding society like that of the American South could also be a true Christian society? Why do you think Stowe made Christianity play such a prominent role in her attack on slavery? 6. What role does the domestic slave trade, and especially the selling of slaves “down the river,” play in this story? Why do you think that Stowe based so much of her book around that aspect of the southern slave system? What did it tell her readers about the slave system? 7. On p. 51 (ch. 1), Stowe writes, “So long as the law considers all these human beings, with beating hearts and living affections, only as so many things belonging to a master, . . . so long it is impossible to make anything beautiful or desirable in the best regulated administration of slavery.” Using specific examples, how did Stowe illustrate the law’s l dehumanizing effect upon both slaveholders and the enslaved? Also, how did she use that to demonstrate that the notion of kind masters or mild forms of slavery were meaningless? 8. How would you describe the background and character of Mr. Shelby? Considering the hardships that befell him, why do you think that Stowe portrayed him this way? 9. How would you describe the background and character of Mr. Haley? How does he perceive himself? Why do you think that Stowe included him in her story? 10. On p. 105 (ch. 7), Stowe writes, “If it were your Harry, mother, or your Willie, that were going to be torn from you by a brutal trader, tomorrow morning, . . . how fast could you walk?” Who is she referring to in this passage, and what effect do you think that reading about this episode had on various segments of the northern population? 11. How did Eliza’s husband George respond to his owner’s abuse and threatened sale to the Deep South? How did his response compare to that of Uncle Tom’s? In what ways do you find his actions admirable? Or do you believe he was irresponsible? How do you think that most readers at that time would have responded to George’s actions? Why? 12. Who was Augustine St. Clare, what was his background, and how did that affect his views on slavery? How would you describe his character? Did you find his portrayal convincing? Why or why not? Also, what larger point do you think that Stowe was making by including him in her book? 13. On pp. 327-28 (ch. 19), when referring to a case of a slave owner brutalizing his slave, Augustine St. Clare says, “It’s commonly supposed that the property interest is a sufficient guard in these cases. If people choose to ruin their own possessions, I don’t know what’s to be done. . . . The best we can do is to shut our eyes and ears, and let it alone.” What effect did this reality have on St. Clare’s life? What effect do you think his statement on economic self-interest and cruelty within the system had on northern audiences and on their understanding of the true nature of the southern slave system? 14. How would you describe the background and character of Miss Ophelia? What part of the country was she from? What were her original views on slavery, as well as her attitude towards black people? Do you think her views changed over time? Why or why not? Finally, why do you think that Stowe included Miss Ophelia in her story, and what larger point do you think that Stowe was making here on this subject? 15. When asked about her parents, the slave girl Topsy responded with “Never was born,” and “I ‘spect I grow’d. Don’t think nobody never made me.” (p. 356; ch. 20). Why do you think this girl would say that, and in what ways did her response (and the fictional character of Topsy in general) symbolize southern slavery for many white Americans? Why do you think that Stowe included her? Do you think Topsy’s story was effective for Stowe’s overall argument? Why or why not? 16. For many contemporary readers, one of the most emotional moments in the book was the death scene of Little Eva. Why do you think that Stowe included Eva in this novel, and what was Eva’s life and death supposed to represent? Why do you think that so many readers at the time had such an emotional reaction to her death? 3, 17. How would you describe the background and character of Simon Legree? What part of the 5 country was he originally from? Do you think that was important for Stowe’s overall argument? Why do you think that Stowe portrayed him in the way that she did and what purpose do you think he serves in this novel? 18. Who was Cassy and what were the hardships she had to endure in this novel? How did her experiences typify those of some of the other characters in this book, as well as so many 7 other female slaves in the nineteenth-century South? How do you think northern readers would have responded to her story? Do you believe that the inclusion of Cassy was effective for Stowe’s overall argument against slavery? Why or why not? 19. Which of the characters in the book had the biggest impact on you? Why? Using examples from the book, what was it specifically about that character’s story that affected you? 20. Some people have viewed Uncle Tom as a coward and a sell-out for not running away when he was sold and for not resisting his enslavement. Others have seen him as a strong and heroic figure who never abandoned his principles and beliefs, even when told to do so under the threat of death. Using specific examples from the book, how do you think the character of Uncle Tom should be viewed today? What do you think of him? Why?