Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
The book opens with Arthur Shelby, a Kentucky farmer who is facing indebtedness hence is at risk of losing his farm. His wife is Emily Shelby who with her husband believes that they have a good relationship with their slaves.
Even with this belief, Shelby decides to solve the problem by raising the needed fund from the slaves. He decides to sell two of the slaves; Uncle Tom, a middle-aged man with a wife and children, and the son of Emily Shelby’s maid named Harry.
This does not go down well with Emily Shelby as she has earlier assured Eliza, the mother of Harris that her child would never be sold. George Shelby, Emily’s son also does not like Tom leaving them as he has taken Tom as his mentor and friend. The slaves are to be sold to a crude slave trader, Mr. Haley.
Eliza overhears the husband and wife discussing the matter of disposing of the slave to solve their problems, she determines to run away with Harris her son. She fears losing her only surviving son after she suffered two miscarriages. Eliza leaves that night leaving a letter of apology to Emily Shelby her mistress. She is pursued and she makes a dangerous risk by crossing over the ice of the river of Ohio to escape.
Tom is sold to Mr. Harley who takes him to a riverboat on the Mississippi River where he is to be transported to a slave market. Tom meets a little white girl on board named Eva. The duo immediately becomes friends. Tom saves Eva’s life when she falls into the river. As a mark of gratitude to Tom, Eva’s father, Augustine St. Clare buys Tom from Mr. Harley and takes him home in New Orleans with the family. Tom and Eva have deep Christian faith; hence they have a good relationship.
As fate will have it, Eliza meets her husband George Harris who has earlier escaped while escaping. They plan to reach Canada. A slave hunter, Tom Locker who has been hired by Mr. Harley traps Eliza, her husband, and Harris their son. George immediately shoots him in the side. Eliza is worried that Tom Locker may die, she then convinces her husband to take him to a nearby Quaker settlement for him to have medical treatment.
In New Orleans, St. Clare discusses slavery with Ophelia his Northern cousin who is prejudiced against black people. He believes that he is not biased, though a slave owner. In order to show Ophelia how wrong she is on her views about black buys off Topsy, a young black slave, and tells Ophelia to educate her.
Eva seriously falls ill after Tom’s two years of staying with the family. Before her death, she has a vision of heaven which she shares with the people around her. The people learn from Eva’s death and vision; they resolve to change their lives. Topsy says she will better herself. Ophelia decides to throw off her prejudices against blacks, while St. Clare pledges to free Tom.
Unfortunately, St. Clare is unable to fulfill his pledge of freeing Tom as he dies after he is stabbed outside a tavern. His wife breaks her husband’s vow by selling Tom at an auction to Simon Legree, a cruel plantation owner. Simon takes Tom along with other new slaves including Emmeline whom he bought to use as a sex slave in rural Louisiana.
Tom is given the assignment to whip fellow slaves, but due to his faith in God refuses. This makes Legree hate and beats him inhumanly with the promise to crush his faith in God. This wickedness of Legree does not deter Tom from reading his Bible and being kind to fellow slaves.
Tom meets Cassy, a slave Legree uses as a sex slave at the plantation. She narrates her story to Tom about how she was separated from her son and daughter when they were sold separately. She narrates her ordeal when she was pregnant again but killed the child because of her previous experience when she was separated from her children. She does not want to suffer any separation again.
Back to Tom Locker, the slave hunter whom George shot and wounded. After he is healed by the Quakers whom George carried him to for treatment, he changed and George and his family enter Canada from Lake Erie and become free.
In Louisiana, Uncle Tom’s faith in God is tested when he faces serious hardship on the plantation he nearly succumbs to hopelessness. But the visions he has sustains him to remain a faithful Christian. He has visions about Jesus and Eva hence, he decides to remain a true Christian even if he dies.
Uncle Tom encourages Cassy to escape and she takes Emmeline along. Legree requests from him about the whereabouts of Cassy and Emmeline, but he refuses to tell him their whereabouts. Legree then orders Uncle Tom to be killed by his overseer. The latter beat him to the point of death. As he is dying, he forgives the overseer.
Legree and the overseer are humbled by the character of Tom hence, they become Christians. Arthur Shelby’s son, George Shelby arrives to buy Tom off for his freedom, but unfortunately, the latter dies shortly after their meeting.
Denouement
They are on their way to total freedom. Cassy and Emmeline meet Madame de Thoux, George Harris’ sister, and accompany her to Canada. George Harris and his sister Madam de Thoux were separated during their childhood. Cassy also discovers Eliza as her long-lost daughter that was sold as a child.
As the family is now together, they travel to France and later Liberia, the African country that was liberated for American freed slaves. George Shelby on his own returns to the Kentucky farm and he frees all his slaves after the death of his father. He then encourages them to remember the sacrifices of Tom every time they look at his cabin. He offers to emulate Uncle Tom by living a pious Christian life like him.