Tuesday, 2 January 2024 10:20 pm
Book Review: Uncle Tom's Cabin
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deckardcanineAfter someone told me that the original Uncle Tom was not an "Uncle Tom" in the modern sense, I decided to see for myself. Even if that person were wrong, it wouldn't change the fact that the book has an important place in history, and I hadn't learned enough from the spotty telling in The King and I.
The story begins on a Kentucky farm, where Arthur Shelby must sell at least one slave. He picks middle-aged Tom, but trader Haley demands talented little Harry as well. Harry's mom, Eliza, overhears this and runs off with him, prompting a hunt at Haley's behest. Tom declines to run, because if Shelby can't make ends meet, all the other slaves might well end up in a worse scenario. Tom's next master, Augustine St. Clare, isn't so bad, but his luck doesn't hold. You've likely heard of Simon Legree, whose most merciful quality is that he debuts about three-quarters of the way through.
Obviously, a lot more happens in a 500+-pager, but it's tricky to summarize. Let's just say we get a clear picture of the experiences of many slaves and owners, with Harriet Beecher Stowe drawing inspiration from true stories. She can hardly be said to sugarcoat.
This is not to say that Stowe has no bigotry of her own. Once in a while, the openly partisan narrator characterizes all "Negroes" in an unflattering way, and I doubt she's ever sarcastic. It reminds me of early Tintin books, which caricature oppressed peoples while sympathizing with them. Nowadays, simply imitating the slaves' speaking style is apt to trigger someone.
Like Twelve Years a Slave and unlike what I recall of Roots, it indicates a range of morality among the owners, some of whom would seem downright decent if not for the one big offense. At the same time, some abolitionists are more racist in their own right. Only Legree appears wholly corrupt.
The point of this range is not to downplay the horrors of slavery. Indeed, Stowe declares that relatively generous masters enable those horrors. Society would not have tolerated the system nearly so long if it were chock full of Legrees.
As for Uncle Tom, sure, he's kind to his masters, but that's because he's kind to everyone. He doesn't kiss up to them. He never throws anyone under the bus. He'd treasure freedom from even the cushiest slave conditions. And he'd sooner die than obey an immoral order. Basically, a saint. I'd sooner apply "Quimbo" as a substitute for the modern "Uncle Tom," tho Quimbo and Sambo do change their ways.
That gets at the factor that I suspect is most responsible for modern limitations on how often UTC is assigned in school: religiosity. Stowe heavily emphasizes how treating people as property with no legal rights is incompatible with Christianity. Several characters of a mostly good nature struggle to believe, typically hindered by wretched lives. Legree, wouldn't you know, is antireligious.
The writing? Well, I had to get used to dated practices such as dashes after commas and certain initials (think "The Purloined Letter"). Unsurprisingly, it almost never tries to be lighthearted. It's not half the romp that The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is.
Nonetheless, it is impressive. Stowe needed serious chops to make me not want to give up on an unhappy non-fantasy. Pretty much every page touched me. I finished out of a feeling of investment, not obligation.
My next read is both shorter and reputedly funny: Superfolks by Robert Mayer.
The story begins on a Kentucky farm, where Arthur Shelby must sell at least one slave. He picks middle-aged Tom, but trader Haley demands talented little Harry as well. Harry's mom, Eliza, overhears this and runs off with him, prompting a hunt at Haley's behest. Tom declines to run, because if Shelby can't make ends meet, all the other slaves might well end up in a worse scenario. Tom's next master, Augustine St. Clare, isn't so bad, but his luck doesn't hold. You've likely heard of Simon Legree, whose most merciful quality is that he debuts about three-quarters of the way through.
Obviously, a lot more happens in a 500+-pager, but it's tricky to summarize. Let's just say we get a clear picture of the experiences of many slaves and owners, with Harriet Beecher Stowe drawing inspiration from true stories. She can hardly be said to sugarcoat.
This is not to say that Stowe has no bigotry of her own. Once in a while, the openly partisan narrator characterizes all "Negroes" in an unflattering way, and I doubt she's ever sarcastic. It reminds me of early Tintin books, which caricature oppressed peoples while sympathizing with them. Nowadays, simply imitating the slaves' speaking style is apt to trigger someone.
Like Twelve Years a Slave and unlike what I recall of Roots, it indicates a range of morality among the owners, some of whom would seem downright decent if not for the one big offense. At the same time, some abolitionists are more racist in their own right. Only Legree appears wholly corrupt.
The point of this range is not to downplay the horrors of slavery. Indeed, Stowe declares that relatively generous masters enable those horrors. Society would not have tolerated the system nearly so long if it were chock full of Legrees.
As for Uncle Tom, sure, he's kind to his masters, but that's because he's kind to everyone. He doesn't kiss up to them. He never throws anyone under the bus. He'd treasure freedom from even the cushiest slave conditions. And he'd sooner die than obey an immoral order. Basically, a saint. I'd sooner apply "Quimbo" as a substitute for the modern "Uncle Tom," tho Quimbo and Sambo do change their ways.
That gets at the factor that I suspect is most responsible for modern limitations on how often UTC is assigned in school: religiosity. Stowe heavily emphasizes how treating people as property with no legal rights is incompatible with Christianity. Several characters of a mostly good nature struggle to believe, typically hindered by wretched lives. Legree, wouldn't you know, is antireligious.
The writing? Well, I had to get used to dated practices such as dashes after commas and certain initials (think "The Purloined Letter"). Unsurprisingly, it almost never tries to be lighthearted. It's not half the romp that The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is.
Nonetheless, it is impressive. Stowe needed serious chops to make me not want to give up on an unhappy non-fantasy. Pretty much every page touched me. I finished out of a feeling of investment, not obligation.
My next read is both shorter and reputedly funny: Superfolks by Robert Mayer.