The novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe unveils many important themes such as slavery and segregation, racial inequalities and Christian values. The social context of the novel reflects the system of slavery and its impact on personal relations and motherhood. Through female characters, Stowe argues that racial problems have deep historical roots that are closely connected with the period of slavery and dominance of “whites” and the low position of women in society and their social inequalities. Thesis Stowe portrays idealized women characters but diminishes the role of white men.
Stowe idealizes women characters portraying them as ideal wives and mothers. Stowe depicts idealized women including Ophelia, Eliza, Aunt Chloe and Rosa. The women’s role was to run the house and house slaves. Stowe depicts Marie as a strict personal in contrast to her sister Ophelia. “Miss Ophelia was the absolute bond-slave of the “ought.” Once make her certain that the “path of duty,” as she commonly phrased it, lay in any given direction, and fire and water could not keep her from it” (Stowe 174). The realization that a woman, like Marie, has to devote herself to husband and live according to the values was typical for all female characters.
Even if women want to be equal to men they would never talk about this with their husband. Stowe idealizes family relations depicting that a wife can openly express her life position to her husband like Mrs. Shelby. Their life was limited by running the house and bringing up children. For instance, when Mr. Shelby decided to sell the slaves his wife was opposed this act appealing to his virtues: “It is a sin to hold a slave under laws like ours, – I always felt it was, – I always thought so when I was a girl, – I thought so still more after I joined the church; but I thought I could gild it over, – I thought, by kindness, and care, and instruction, I could make the condition of mine better than freedom – fool that I was!” (Stowe 38). For instance, Emmeline in spite of all her life troubles remains a pious and devoted girl.
Male characters Arthur Shelby, George Shelby, and Augustine St. Clare are portrayed as oppressors and a dominant class in contrast to women. Men perpetrate an ideological prison that subjected and silenced women. This ideology oppressed women by saying they should be subdued by religion and social norms. The character of Uncle Tom stays apart from other male characters: he is depicted as a man who possesses female qualities such as passion, sympathy and deep feelings. Stowe portrays Tom’s deep personal feelings, striving of personal identity and total ignorance of the world experienced by a slave.
Tom is an uncommon fellow; he is certainly worth that sum anywhere,–steady, honest, capable, manages my whole farm like a clock” (Stowe 6). Social priorities were supported by economic development which always played a major role considered as the main indicator of future success or failure. It is possible to say that slavery lasted so long, because it was legitimatized by the church which played a crucial role for 19th century men. Stowe depicts that intense physical activity of slaves engaged in absorptive labor into a kind of consumptive fever. Simon Legree describes that treatment of slaves, “Use up, and buy more,’s my way…” (Stowe 183). Simon Legree represents a proslavery position opposed to Ophelia’s. At the end of the novel, Stowe depicts that Legree descends into alcoholism and insanity.
Christianity and church was a strong force which dictated social norms and social order. For instance, Eva is depicted as a devoted parishioner who follows all values and commandments. The other example is the character of Mrs. Shelby who allows her favourite slave girl Eliza to have a Christian wedding in their house. Probably, Harriet Beecher Stowe includes this episode because for every devoted Christians a wedding is the most important thing in his life like Eucharist. The other idealized characteristic is given to Eliza who “was safe under the protecting care of her mistress, and had reached maturity without those temptations which make beauty so fatal an inheritance to a slave” (Stowe 16). In reality, such situation is occurred very rare during the period portrayed in the novel.
Probably, religion and Christianity, was the best way for slave owners to defense slavery. On the one hand, it was supposed that everything (human existence) is predetermined by God, and a mortal man is unable to change his destiny. Although church has worked hard to distinguish religious values of slaves and masters and their respective on peoples. Christianity was the “law of life” for defenders. The distance between these women groups and a largely secular but still vaguely society is such that the preservation of the former from the evils of the latter has been achieved by the erection of considerable social barriers. The religious mores of the women that provide almost all of them were such that traditional practice isolates slaves from the wider society. When religion starts to dominate and tyrannize people acting in its own interests it looses its original destination as the keeper of customs and morality. Attitudes to racial roles tended to keep those women who remained in slavery separated from the wider society. Stowe portrays Ophelia as the “absolute bondslave” of her personal moral code (Stowe 230). Despite Ophelia’s obedience, Stowe argues with Ophelia’s deportment to slave laboring under the whip.
In sum, Stowe portrays idealized women characters obsessed by religion and domesticity. She underlines that religion determines everything in women’s lives, in spite of the fact that church and Christianity were used to defense and legitimatize the institution of slavery. Men are portrayed as indifferent and cruel towards women. Stowe idealizes womanhood avoiding such things as oppression and low educational level, low social status of women and their domestic role only. She tries to create a woman who is equal to men in her thoughts if not actions. Stowe also depicts that women’s life and destiny are defined and depended upon the men, and, particularly, upon their marriage. Domesticity shapes lives of women including white slave owners and black slaves. The domesticity portrays resistance to patriarchy and obedience of women. This novel unveils social mores and values of women and society in which they played a crucial role. It means that the social values were influenced through the impact of class relations on society. In this way class power affected the thoughts and desires of its victims without them being aware of it.
Works Cited
Stowe, H.B. Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Signet Classics; 150 Anv edition, 1998.