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Uncle Tom's Cabin As A Social Protest Novel

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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, …show more content…

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

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According to the commentary on Uncle Tom’s Cabin, thousands copies have been sold in a matter of weeks. They say that Uncle Tom’s Cabin is the “STORY OF THE AGE” and is “dominated with truth”. People across both North and Southern borders have read about the tragic stories laid out in Uncle Tom’s Cabin. On the hand, in the unsigned review of Uncle Tom’s Cabin it calls Uncle Tom’s Cabin unqualifiedly false. So as the abolitionists are calling Uncle Tom’s Cabin honest and truthful, slavery supporters are calling Uncle Tom’s Cabin falsely

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The novel Uncle Tom's Cabin written by Harriet Beecher Stowe depicts the reality of slavery while simultaneously pushing the idea to Christian audiences that they should show compassion and put an end to slavery. Stowe exercises the Christianity of the character Uncle Tom to strengthen the idea that acting as a Christian can abolish the institution of slavery itself. In addition, the destruction of slavery is narrated through the character George Harris who's a runaway slave. In particular, Stowe sets up the scene where Harris walks into a bar under the alias of Henry Butler passing in society with his "Spanish complexion" appearing equivalent to the Caucasian community (Stowe 151). However, Harris expressing to his former boss Mr. Wilson his

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