The novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin written by Harriet Beecher Stowe, takes the reader into the lives of slaves during the mid-19th century. Overall, the story portrays the struggles that each slave is forced to go through, discovering the horrors that took place at this time in history. It also gives us an insight into the various different types of slave owners. We see the two extremes of slave owners, with Mr. St. Clare being fairly kind to his slaves by trying to befriend them, but we also see owners like Simon Legree who is on the opposite side of the spectrum, working his slaves to death then purchasing cheap ones again, creating a vicious cycle.
One of the themes that really stood out to me in the novel was the theme of uncertainty. These slaves lived completely in the dark as to what was going to happen to them each day. By following the story of Tom, the reader sees this theme right from the start. Tom starts off in a fairly solid situation for a slave but he is forced to be sold because his owner needs the money. He is then thrown into a great situation with the St. Clare family as he befriends Eva. This friend is then taken away from him when Eva dies, throwing his life in a spiral as he was promised freedom but has this stripped away when Mr. St. Clare dies. Then being sold to Simon Legree who eventually beats Tom to death. These events show that life was very unpredictable for slaves and having no control over it was just another form a torture they were forced to go through.
I wrote about a similar topic for my post. I also found it interesting how some slave owners were kind to their slaves while others were extremely cruel. Though Arthur Shelby was amongst the kindest slave owners, after he sold Tom, Tom’s future was uncertain. Initially finding another relatively kind family, he is then sold to an owner who is amongst the cruelest. Even though some owners were kind, they still allowed the system to exist which allowed for all slaves to be at risk of suffering under the cruelest owners.
I think the theme of uncertainty was very important in Uncle Tom’s Cabin because it highlights the reality of slavery. Slaves were constantly under threat by their slave owners and didn’t know what to expect. Life was unpredictable. Simone Legree is the perfect example of how cruel some slave owners were to their slaves. As a result the relentless pressure of discrimination and violence dictated the lives of African-American slaves.
To add to this theme of uncertainty is Eliza and Harry’s story. In the very beginning of the novel Eliza is reassured by Mrs. Shelby that they would never sell Harry, even the reader is briefly led to believe this to be true as Mr. Shelby also seems to believe he had a moral duty to keep families together. It’s therefore even more shocking and upsetting when it is revealed Harry and Tom will be sold to Haley. The feeling of uncertainty follow the mother and son as they attempt to escape to Canada, even making it to the Northern states is not enough to save them due to the Fugitive Slave Act. There were multiple times they came close to being caught and brought back.