Analysis Of Uncle Tom's Cabin By Harriet Breecher Stowe

As Benjamin Franklin once so eloquently spoke, "either write something worth reading or do something worth writing." ("Not Be Forgotten"). One among many individuals to personify these words, Harriet Breecher Stowe believed from a young age that her actions and innate gift at writing could change the world. In her most famous novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin¸ her exposé of the brutality and immorality of slavery fed the currents of change that had already begun to rouse the country towards the Civil War. For Harriet Breecher Stowe, the radical message contained in Uncle Tom's Cabin, characterized by her religious and abolitionist beliefs, has marked her as one of America's most renowned authors and continues to impact the world today. Harriet Breecher

Stow underscored the plot of Uncle Tom's Cabin with her main goals; including convincing her fellow Northerner's of the evil in the institution of slavery; helping readers empathize with all slaves; and emphasizing that slavery causes even righteous men and women to do unspeakable acts. Unsurprisingly, the novel caused a colossal amount of criticism. In the south, white slave owners regarded the book with outrage for its condemnation of their way of life, and even initiated the publication of "anti-Uncle Tom" novels (Railton 2). Despite extreme opposition from the South, Stowe's novel resonated with a great audience and became a runaway best seller in the North and the world. Within the first week of its release, Uncle Tom's Cabin sold an astronomical amount of 10,000 copies, and roughly 300,000 more in the North alone by the end of the year (Robins 2). Translated into over 60 languages, the novel rapidly became a best seller in not only the United States, but Britain, Europe, and Asia as well (Robins 2). Her informal and passionate way of writing permitted her to engage such audiences including women, and inspired the country in a way that rallies, political speeches, and pamphlets simply had

Countering the common practice of slavery at her time, and in response to her conscience as well as the unjust federal law, Stowe articulated her beliefs that slavery was a violation of her nation's promise of freedom and equality, and a violation against the dignity of mankind. Although her writing revolutionized the face of American history, Uncle Tom's Cabin continues to spark criticism, much like it did in the past. Yet the unabashed and stark message she presented the world, along with the phenomenal success, repercussions, and significance of Uncle Tom's Cabin, have defined her work of literature as unquestionably important to