Uncle Tom's Cabin: not as bad as some say

Though Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin is one of the most influential American novels of all time and is widely held to be one of the essential protest novels of the nineteenth century, it is not without its critics. Many have noted the unrealistic depiction of its southern white and slave characters, while others believe Stowe to be a racist and a slavery sympathizer due to her often rosy depiction of slave-owners. Despite all of these seeming imperfections—most of which have been found by the modern reader—the book continues to be a widely-read example of the early protest novel and when read from the correct historical point of view, is an impressive look into the arguments against slavery that helped abolish the dreadful practice. Chief in understanding Uncle Tom’s Cabin correctly is an appreciation for the audience for which the novel was written. More specifically, we must recognize that Stowe is attempting to convince Americans that slavery is against the moral principles set forth by the Christian faith, and her argument is made in such a way as to appeal to them in this way. This essay will show that Stowe’s intention was to convince a specific group of white, northern Christians that the practice of slavery must have been ended as quickly as possible, and when studied in this way, few faults will be exposed.