Uncle Tom's Cabin As A Social Protest Novel

Imagine reading about the cruel, harsh realities of the lives of slaves and going through a rollercoaster of emotions while reading a novel. Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe is “a work of literary fiction that seeks to elucidate a social problem with a primary or secondary purpose of functioning as propaganda,” (“Common Description of the ‘Social Protest Novel’ Literary Genre”) otherwise known as a social protest novel. Despite Uncle Tom’s Cabin connecting to the content that is learned during US History I, the book should not be in the curriculum for students to read because

To begin, throughout the novel, Stowe subtly hints at the fact that slavery grew as a result of capitalism and leans more toward supporting socialism. For instance,

Baldwin states, “This is explained by the nature of Mrs. Stowe’s subject matter, her laudable determination to flinch from nothing in presenting … and to leave unanswered and unnoticed the only important question: what is was, after all, that moved...people to do such deeds” (“Everybody’s Protest Novel”). Throughout the novel, Stowe writes about many unfortunate events, but does not explicate why the characters are being treated in such a way; it leaves readers asking many questions about why characters feel a certain way. In Chapter 43, George states, “When I think of all she suffered, of my own early sufferings, of the distresses and struggles of my heroic … I have no wish to pass for an American, or to identify myself with them. It is with the oppressed, enslaved African race that I cast in my lot; and, if I wished anything, I would wish myself two shades darker, rather than one lighter” (Stowe 491). This passage leaves the reader questioning why George decided to leave to Liberia rather than stay in America to fight for people like himself. George is an educated man, could have easily joined the abolitionist movement, and could have continued to fight for rights for African Americans. The reader asks himself why George “gave up” and wanted to leave with other African Americans to form a