Tom’s Purpose Slavery was one of the biggest controversies in the mid-1800s. In order to sway the public’s opinion on the topic, Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote a novel. The name of her novel was Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Her novel was a catalyst to start one of the bloodiest wars. The author portrayed the character, “Tom”, as the most effective on the audience. He was a slave in Kentucky, which was a border state. At this time, most of the border state’s slaves were not forced to do arduous labor and beat severely. Stowe wrote the story of a slave who gets has three different owners. Each time the working conditions get worse but Tom holds true to his character throughout it all. In the story, Tom’s actions express him as passive, intelligent, and compassionate. These traits give the audience a different perspective of slaves to get their support with the Northerners. …show more content…
The author has Tom inhabit passive traits for the Northerners to see how the slaves are being treated just because of their skin color. When Tom is sold for the first time, he is taken on a boat where he is chained and shackled. Eva St. Clare is talking to Tom and is plunged into the water. Tom breaks free from his fetters and leaps in the water to rescue her. This incident represents Tom’s passive character. He could have broke free the whole time he is being taken away, but he chooses to not resist. When Tom is sold to