Uncle Tom's Cabin
(eBook)

Having run up large debts, a Kentucky farmer named Arthur Shelby faces the prospect of losing everything he owns. Though he and his wife, Emily Shelby, have a kindhearted and affectionate relationship with their slaves, Shelby decides to raise money by selling two of his slaves to Mr. Haley, a coarse slave trader. The slaves in question are Uncle Tom, a middle-aged man with a wife and children on the farm, and Harry, the young son of Mrs. Shelby's maid Eliza. When Shelby tells his wife about his agreement with Haley, she is appalled because she has promised Eliza that Shelby would not sell her son. The story follows Tom as he is introduced to a little girl who is angelic & the sweetest little thing anyone has ever seen. He shares his Christianity with her and ends up saving her life in an icy river. As the story unfolds, tragedy continues to follow this dear man and those he loves. He is bought and sold and ends up with another slave owner, who is much more cruel. The author clearly shows that the insitution of slavery, even in its most well-intentioned form, is incompatible with Christianity and any proper ethical treatment of human beings. The horrors of this institution unfold toward the end of the book as a cruel slave owner enters the story. The story is redemptive in nature, because even in the almost complete darkness of his situation, Tom is able to shine the light of love toward even his mortal enemies. The idea of Uncle Tom became a political icon. It's not simply a political book for African Americans, it's an American heritage symbol that has helped shape our history.