NIỀM TIN VÀ GIÁ TRỊ ĐẠO CƠ-ĐỐC ĐƯỢC THỂ HIỆN TRONG MỘT SỐ NHÂN VẬT TIÊU BIỂU Ở TÁC PHẨM “TÚP LỀU BÁC TÔM” CỦA HARRIET BEECHER STOWE

“Uncle Tom’s Cabin” is a successful novel which makes the name of Harriet Beecher Stowe is immortalized with a deserved pride. Through the author’s view point related to Christianity being expressed in some typical characters, Harriet Beecher Stowe has appealed the reader’s sense of morality, religion and emotion. Used as a weapon to appeal the public for slavery abolishment, this novel is considered as one of the most influential cultural events or factors that precipitated the movement to finally end slavery in the United States. This graduation paper focuses on the Christian beliefs and values seen in some typical characters in the novel “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” by Harriet Beecher Stowe. It concludes three parts. The first one deals with the rationale, aim and scope of the study. It also identifies the methods to be applied and the structure of the study. Part two is the main content of the study divided into five chapters. The first one mentions the literature review of the study, in which attention is paid to the definition of the fiction as well as elements of the fiction. The second one investigates Christianity’s beliefs and values. In the next two chapters, the study focuses on the historical, social issues, the author and some information about the novel “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”. The last one in part two expresses the Christian values and beliefs seen in some typical character in this novel. Finally, part three is not only a brief summary of the thesis but also a general remark on Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Christian beliefs and values.

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI

UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHER EDUCATION

GRADUATION PAPER

THE CHRISTIAN BELIEFS AND VALUES SEEN

IN SOME TYPICAL CHARACTERS

IN THE NOVEL “UNCLE TOM’S CABIN”

BY HARRIET BEECHER STOWE

Supervisor: MA VĂN THỊ THANH BÌNH Student: NGUYỄN PHƯƠNG CHI

Course: QH2010 F1 E4

HANOI, 2014

ĐẠI HỌC QUỐC GIA HÀ NỘI

TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ

KHOA SƯ PHẠM TIẾNG ANH

KHÓA LUẬN TỐT NGHIỆP

NIỀM TIN VÀ GIÁ TRỊ ĐẠO CƠ-ĐỐC

ĐƯỢC THỂ HIỆN TRONG MỘT SỐ NHÂN VẬT TIÊU BIỂU Ở TÁC PHẨM “TÚP LỀU BÁC TÔM”

CỦA HARRIET BEECHER STOWE

Giáo viên hướng dẫn: THẠC SĨ VĂN THỊ THANH BÌNH Sinh viên: NGUYỄN PHƯƠNG CHI

Khóa: QH2010.F1.E4

Date: May 5th, 2014

First of all, I take this opportunity to express my profound gratitude anddeep regards to my supervisor Mrs Văn Thị Thanh Bình, MA for herexemplary guidance, monitoring and constant encouragement throughout thecourse of this thesis I am also indebted to her friendly encouragement fromthe preparation to completion of this graduation paper Without her help thisgraduation paper possibly has not been completed

Secondly, I would like to send my deep sense of thanks to Mr LêThành Trung, MA for what he has taught me and the materials he hassupplied me in the fulfillment of this study

Furthermore, I also owe an enormous favor to my parents and myfriends who supported and assisted me during the period of conducting thepaper

Last but not least, I thank almightily my readers for their interests andfeedback on this study

Author

Nguyễn Phương Chi

“Uncle Tom’s Cabin” is a successful novel which makes the name ofHarriet Beecher Stowe is immortalized with a deserved pride Through theauthor’s view point related to Christianity being expressed in some typicalcharacters, Harriet Beecher Stowe has appealed the reader’s sense of morality,religion and emotion Used as a weapon to appeal the public for slaveryabolishment, this novel is considered as one of the most influential culturalevents or factors that precipitated the movement to finally end slavery in theUnited States

This graduation paper focuses on the Christian beliefs and values seen

in some typical characters in the novel “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” by HarrietBeecher Stowe It concludes three parts The first one deals with the rationale,aim and scope of the study It also identifies the methods to be applied and thestructure of the study Part two is the main content of the study divided intofive chapters The first one mentions the literature review of the study, inwhich attention is paid to the definition of the fiction as well as elements ofthe fiction The second one investigates Christianity’s beliefs and values Inthe next two chapters, the study focuses on the historical, social issues, theauthor and some information about the novel “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” The lastone in part two expresses the Christian values and beliefs seen in some typicalcharacter in this novel

Finally, part three is not only a brief summary of the thesis but also ageneral remark on Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Christian beliefs and values

TABLE OF CONTENT

ACCEPTANCE PAGE i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ii

ABSTRACT iii

TABLE OF CONTENT PART I: INTRODUCTION 1

RATIONALE 1

AIM OF THE STUDY 2

SCOPE OF THE STUDY 2

METHODOLOGY 3

ORGANIZATION 3

PART II: DEVELOPMENT 5

CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW 5

1.1 Definition of fiction 5

1.2 Elements of fiction 5

1.2.1 Plot 5

1.2.2 Character 6

1.2.3 Setting 7

1.2.4 Theme 8

CHAPTER II: CHRISTIANITY’S BASIC BELIEFS AND VALUES .8 2.1 Belief – life after death 8

2.2 Appreciated virtues 9

2.2.1 Faith in God 9

2.2.2 Compassion 9

CHAPTER III: HISTORICAL AND SOCIAL ISSUES 10

3.1 Slavery in Southern States of the U.S.A 10

3.2 Slavery: one cause of the Civil War 11

3.3 Movement of anti-slavery 12

CHAPTER IV: HARRIET BEECHER STOWE AND THE NOVEL “UNCLE TOM’S CABIN” 14

4.1 The author Harriet Beecher Stowe 14

4.1.1 The author’s life 14

4.1.2 The author’s writing career 15

4.2 The novel “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” 16

4.2.1 The background of Uncle Tom’s Cabin 16

4.2.2 Summary of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” 17

CHAPTER V: THE CHRISTIAN VALUES AND BELIEFS SEEN IN SOME TYPICAL CHARACTERS IN THE NOVEL “UNCLE TOM’S CABIN” 19

5.1 Belief – life after death 19

5.2 Appreciated values 24

5.2.1 Faith 25

5.2.2 Compassion 31

5.2.3 Forgiveness and sacrifice 39

PART III: CONCLUSION 43

ISSUES ADDRESSED IN THE STUDY 43

LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY 44

SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH 44

REFERENCES 45

PART I: INTRODUCTION

RATIONALE

The more the society develops, the better spiritual life will be improved

so the roles and values of literature in life of human beings are more and moreappreciated Thanks to literature, people accumulate plenty of invaluableknowledge for themselves about culture, people, society and history ofmankind Through literary works - the "spiritual child" of the authors, thepictures of labor force, struggle of our ancestors are depicted as a vivid film.Literature is always a powerful and magical mirror reflecting almost everyaspect of human life and it is a window into many realities of different peoplewho live in different society Besides, being an "encyclopedia", literatureexpresses the whole gamut of emotions, from sadness to anger, love topassion Therefore, that is the reason why the researcher is always fond ofliterature and without hesitance, chooses it as her graduation paper

Among talented American writers, the researcher is very attracted toand impressed by Harriet Beecher Stowe – one of the most prominentAmerican writers In her life time, she had witnessed many social andpolitical upheavals in American happening in the nineteenth century such asthe serious racial problem, the passage of the new Fugitive Slave Law in 1850and etc With the view point related to Christian spirit, to reveal the cruelty ofslavery and to appeals the reader’s sense of morality, religion and emotion,

Stowe wrote her masterpiece “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” Such was an evil

institution of slavery with the racial discrimination, physical and emotionalsufferings that the novel depicted Stowe’s weapon of choice for destroyingthe institution of slavery was Christian love Even President Abraham Lincoln

House “So you are the little woman who started this Great War” (Ditchfield,

2010, p.145)

Whereas the salves’ life and struggle in “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” have

been researched, the revelation of Christian religion in this novel is still a newone in the researcher’s university Thus, the researcher feels extremely happy

to have opportunity to express her thoughts about it For all the

above-mentioned reasons, the researcher decided to choose the title “The Christian

beliefs and values seen in some typical characters in the novel “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” by Harriet Beecher Stowe” for her graduation paper Though this

study is still limited and far from perfect, the researcher hopes to make a littlecontribution to the study of American literature at the beginning of the 20th

century and express her love, impression and admiration for her belovedwriter – Harriet Beecher Stowe

AIM OF THE STUDY

The ultimate objective of this study is to reflect the core Christianbeliefs and values of Jesus’ teachings revealed in typical characters’ faithsand virtues in the novel “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” by Harriet Beecher Stowe.Through the characters’ life experience, causal principles about faith, love,compassion, forgiveness, salvation and sacrifice which the author conveys inher message is seen obviously in the novel as a mean to change the society forthe better Last but not least, Stowe’s reader can be appealed to the sense ofmorality and religion about the poor slaves

SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The Christian beliefs and values can be seen in a large number offactors such as plot, theme and setting of the novel, but the study focuses only

on some typical Christ-like characters and non-Christian characters Firstly,

this beliefs and values are showed in the two protagonists’ belief of life afterdeath Secondly, the teachings in Bible are also revealed in characters’virtues like unshakable Christian sense of faith and unrelenting compassion.Finally, the study focuses on the forgiveness and sacrifice of two Christiancharacters – Uncle Tom and Evangeline

METHODOLOGY

So as to successfully complete the tasks mentioned above, my attentionwill be paid to read the novel both English and Vietnamese Besides, findingout the historical and social issues as well as the background of the novel todeeply understand about the content of this masterpiece is required

In order to investigate the Christianity’s basics and values, in the nextstep, I collect the data related to this issue from different materials such asbooks, literature critiques, online journals, and previous studies relating to thetopic The Internet is use as a source because of the limitless of thenetworking of resources Sources used from the Internet were written byprofessionals in their fields and published on reliable sites or on professionalorganizational sites Instructors at the University of Language andInternational Studies in Hanoi were also consulted

Upon collecting the targeted data, careful analysis shall be done withthe most suitable and reliable information chosen Finally, all of them will besynthesized and to reflected in this study before coming to the conclusion

ORGANIZATION

This graduation paper concludes three parts The first one deals withthe rationale, aim and scope of the study It also identifies the methods to beapplied and the structure of the study

Part two is the main content of the study divided into five chapters Thefirst one mentions the literature review of the study, in which attention is paid

to the definition of the fiction as well as elements of the fiction The secondone investigates Christianity’s beliefs and values In the next two chapters,the study focuses on the historical, social issues, the author and someinformation about the novel “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” The last one in part twoexpresses the Christian values and beliefs seen in some typical character inthis novel

Finally, part three is not only a brief summary of the thesis but also ageneral remark on Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Christian beliefs and values

PART II: DEVELOPMENT

CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW

1.1 Definition of fiction

The term “fiction” is defined differently by different professionals Fiction often refers to “novel”, is one of various forms of literature It is probably understood that “a novel is a living thing, all one and continuous,

like any other organism, and in proposition as it lives will it be found that in each of the parts there is something of each other parts” (James, 1884) The

implication of the writer containing in a novel have to place on differentpoints of view and in an associative relation Fiction can be seen as a unifiedwork of art by which we are so deeply inside the mind of character, which istelling that we cannot escape illusion

1.2 Elements of fiction

1.2.1 Plot

Plot is a specific system of facts, events and actions in narrative worksand dramatic works expressing the relationship among the characters in acertain social situations in order to demonstrate topics of the work Moreover,plot is the writer’s means to recreate the social conflict, express the writer'sperspective on life which has strong attraction and appeal to the readers.Sequence of events and changes are formed primarily based on the character'sactions and are organized by causality or revealing meaning relationships Onthis basis, each author in each literature work builds a separate method.Therefore, comprehending the plot is not the way to understand what the story

is telling about, but the intent and messages of the author

1.2.2 Character

Character is the most important factor in each literary work Goethe –the great German writer points out that human is the most interesting thing forpeople whereas M Gorki believes that literature is anthropology Indeed,human is the major factor of literature People are depicted in the literature arecalled literary characters “Character” is a concept used to describe theindividual image in literature work which the writer was aware and re-created

by different means of personal lingual artistic The common elements of acharacter include: name, origin, language, action, psychology, personality,destiny and so on Thanks to character with words and interactive actions, theplot is formed It is seen as a key for the writer to step into the real world,approach new themes and subject, describe and generalize different types ofsocial personality Therefore, the protagonist reflects ideal and theme of thework and show the conception of human and philosophy of life of the writer

Moreover, describing the appearance is a useful measure which thewriter uses to reveal the appearance, position and the nature of certaincharacters Besides, the appearance and the form of each person have personaland identifiable characteristics, which help readers, distinguish one personfrom another Furthermore, through description of appearance, the expression

of innermost feeling and personality of characters is depicted clearer Forexample, in the novel “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”, Harriet Beecher Stowe described

Haley is the person “in a gaudy vest of many colors, a blue neckerchief, […]

with yellow spots” Besides, his hands “[are] plentifully bedecked with rings; and he [writes] a heavy gold watch-chain, [ ] and a great variety of colors, attached to it” (Stowe, 1852, p.14) That appearance makes the reader

imagine an indication that this person is a low man and not a luxuriousgentleman

Innermost feeling is the internal world of characters including feelings,sentiments, psychology and thoughts of human The inner world of human isdeep, various and complex The pen of the writer is capable of describing thedeepest corners of human’s innermost feelings from the scope ofconsciousness to the subconsciousness and unconsciousness Thereby thereader can analyze and judge characteristic.

Last but not least, character’s action is concept that indicating theactivities, movements of the character in a literature work This aspect isparticularly important to demonstrate the character’s personality because theaction of each person is an important basis and a decisive meaning to showthe status, ideal, qualities as well as spiritual traits of this character.Moreover, in a literature work in general and in fiction novel in particular, thecharacter’s personality has been not formed fully from the beginning Actionshave the effect of revealing the process of personality development andpromote the evolution of plot system Through these relationships and thetreatment between characters in different situations, the reader can identifythese characteristics and the nature of the character

Normally when mentioning the setting of a story, it is often thought thatthis consists of time and place However, it should be understood that settingrefers to all of the physical aspects of the story including the geographicallocation, natural, social, cultural, spiritual environment in which writer let hischaracters live and do their different interactions Settings may be the means

of creating atmosphere, revealing character and reinforcing theme Besides,these elements of settings have the function of revealing the true value of acertain society and writer’s attitudes toward that society

1.2.4 Theme

What object in life is usually reflected and described when the writerscompose a novel The readers often see the landscape, the people or thespecific event in literature works The framework of the phenomenon, themood or feeling set out in the work is considered to be the theme

Theme is an aspect of a story that binds together various essentialelements of novel Theme gives readers better understanding of the maincharacter’s conflicts, experiences, discoveries and emotions as they arederived from them Through themes, a writer tries to give his readers aninsight into how the world works or how he or she views human life JaneAusten’s “Pride and Prejudice” is a good example It has a theme ofmatrimony around which the whole narrative revolves as well as love,friendship, affectation and etc

CHAPTER II: CHRISTIANITY’S BASIC BELIEFS AND VALUES

2.1 Belief – life after death

The Bible is a book mentioning Jesus' teachings about human life Thisbook preaches Christians how to experience eternality in life after death, andalso how to enjoy an abundant life on earth like Christian belief In life afterdeath, Christians believe that one day God will raise all the people who have

ever lived and judge them At death, whereas the body will return to the dust

of the earth, only the soul will be saved in Heaven with God or will enter a

place called “Hades” (for those who die in their sins) Even the Gospel of John shows that “for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten

Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (Donahue & Harrington, 2002, p.606) Consequently, the Bible is not

only primarily a book about death, it also points out that death is part of thecycle of life in God’s plan: Those who are judged righteous are saved to liveforever in Heaven

2.2 Appreciated virtues

2.2.1 Faith in God

Faith in God is always the first and greatest Jesus’s commandment

mentioned in the Gospel When one of the teachers asks Jesus which the mostimportant commandment in the Law is, Jesus confirms that the most

important one is that: “The Lord our God, the Lord is one, love the Lord your

God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Donahue & Harrington, 2002, p 354) Consequently,

putting one’s faith in God is the most important duty which every Christianmust obey

2.2.2 Compassion

Along with faith in God, compassion is the second important Jesus’

teaching mentioned in the Bibles Compassion is means that “Love others as

much as you love yourself” (Perrin, 2005, p.7) The word "love" has many

different meanings, but the Greek word used in the New Testament, iscommonly known as "Christian love." It means respect, affection,benevolence, good-will and concern for the welfare of the one loved

Compassion in each pious Christian such as love, care, kindness is seen as thecentral theme of the Bible.

2.2.3 Forgiveness and sacrifice

Besides faith and compassion, forgiveness and sacrifice are appreciatedvirtues are seen in each Christian According to the Bible, God provides ways

to deliverance from sin and spiritual death through repentance and faith.Christian belief is mentioned that forgiveness and salvation is offered to allpeople and comes only by grace through the blood of Jesus Christ and Hisresurrection from the dead Jesus said that there is no place for hatred, holding

a grudge, revenge, retaliation or getting even in the life of a Christian: “Love

your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Scott, 2008, p.91).

Therefore, forgiveness and sacrifice are the gift of God to all who personallyput their faith in Jesus as their sin-bearer

CHAPTER III: HISTORICAL AND SOCIAL ISSUES

3.1 Slavery in Southern States of the U.S.A

In the first half of nineteenth century as well as throughout its history,the diversity and the vast of the young nation had made difficulty for theunification and led to a contradiction: America was a society that has bothlove of freedom and institution of slavery, a national that had territorialexpansion and the original territory and a society that composed of urbanforming on the basis of commercial development and industrialization Thedisagreement in the interpretation of the Constitution and the legitimacy ofU.S banks, the expenditures of the federal government and a protective tariffbuild up the tension between the North and the South However, the most

stressful and persistent problem was still slave ownership Slavery was aninstitution being formed and caused tension between the two domains

Slavery itself was a controversial and provoked issue about bothemotion and morality in Southern States Although about three quarters thewhite population in the South did not have slaves, in general, the whites in theSouth advocated slavery Becoming planters and slave owners were theambitions of the majority of people here However, most of this view camefrom the mainstream argument: the whites, in terms of race, have supremacy.They fear that the emancipation would cause widespread violence and thesociety could be shaken Political Democracy influenced to most states in theSouth as in any other places: the right to vote belongs to white males Thewhite class in the south had been controlled by the wealthy and slave-owningplanters In this time, most southern whites understand that democraticequality is: the white people have the right to have black slaves

3.2 Slavery: one cause of the Civil War

During this time, the first political agreement on this issue (followed bythe application of the U.S Constitution) was the Missouri Compromise.Compromise was born in 1820 after a fierce controversy in House ofRepresentatives In addition to the recognition that Missouri had the right toaccept slavery institution and Maine was a free state to keep the balance,according to this agreement, the slavery institution in the Federal lands in theNorth of the demarcation line was banned On the contrary, the slaveryexisted in the South

Within three decades after the Missouri Compromise was adopted, theNorth and South were becoming more distant The North developedcomprehensively the dynamic community with many diverse activities such

development of large cities The institution of slavery was banned in theNorthern states The belief that the institution of slavery, in essence, waswrong starting from the early days the white set foot on the Americas Thisbelief was supported consistently by the Quaker community But until themiddle of the nineteenth century, it was widely spread in majority of thepopulation in the North Southerners believed that abolitionists were attackingtheir way of life and the Federal government was not doing enough to protecttheir "property" from running away Southerners were also concerned thatnew states were entering the Union that did not permit citizens to own slaves,because the more "free" states that entered the Union, the weaker Southerners'influence in the Federal government would become Therefore, slavery was amajor cause in the Civil War because it was a cog in the wheel of all thesocial - economic - and political issues for the Civil War.

3.3 Movement of anti-slavery

During the 1930s and 1940s, the North had witnessed a disturbance inboth social reform and the life of intellectuals and religion There were manymovements happening in order to fight for justice, women's rights, genderequality movement, and social improvement through education and religiousactivities However, the most revolutionary movement was the holy waragainst the institution of slavery The holy war developed and awoke culturaland moral feelings as well as drew attention to the economic and socialaspects in the North

Southerners were opposed to most of the reforms and considered thatthey were only cliché theories so they lapsed more and more into conservativethinking Specifically, the abolition of slave was rejected in the South Theybegan to see that slave is a good and honest thing instead of a sin Baptist(always quote scripture to justify the institution of slavery) had become a

solid fortress protecting the Southern culture In the North, there were manypeople follow abolitionist; most of them were the Methodist, Quaker and incongregation, especially among women activists Two major religions in theUnited States, Baptist and Methodist, were divided into several distinctbranches between the North and the South Presbyterian Church divided intotwo schools of thought and brings the social and theological being different asnight and day.

In the nineteenth century, The Second Great Awakening was aProtestant revival movement which affected the entire nation made the churchsystem growth quickly This movement started around 1790; after 1820membership in The Second Great Awakening rose quickly among Baptist andMethodist congregations because these congregations had many preachersleading the movement Many people believed that The Second GreatAwakening heralded a new era thousands of years It encouraged theestablishment of many reform movements - including abolitionism andtemperance designed to remove the evils of society before the anticipatedSecond Coming of Jesus Christ

After 1840 the growing abolitionist movement redefined itself as acrusade against the sin of slave ownership It mobilized support especiallyamong religious women in the Northeast affected by the Second GreatAwakening After 1848, a central issue was slavery expansion This incidentcaused the confrontation among the components against slavery thatdominated in the north to the supporters of slavery that the majority in theSouth The slavery issues with the Methodist and Baptist denominations wereseparated into Northern and Southern In the North, there were many peoplefollow abolitionist; most of them were the Methodist, Quaker and in

northerners who followed abolitionist claimed that owning slaves was a sin(according to Protestant theology), and wanted to abrogate slavesimmediately Most of Catholic, the Episcopal and Lutheran denominationsignored this issue.

CHAPTER IV: HARRIET BEECHER STOWE AND THE NOVEL “UNCLE TOM’S CABIN”

4.1 The author Harriet Beecher Stowe

Born in a Christian family, Stowe was influenced deeply by theChristian spirit Therefore, she did many things and had view point based onreligion To reveal the cruelty of slavery and to let her readers know of thatChristian love and slavery were of paradox, Stowe wrote her masterpieceUncle Tom’s Cabin

4.1.1 The author’s life

A 19th century female novelist and abolitionist, Harriet Beecher Stowe(1811 - 1896) was born in a Christian family at Litchfield, Connecticut on the

14th of June 1811 Her father, Lyman Beecher was one of America’s mostcelebrated clergymen and the principal spokesman for Calvinism in the 19th

century He dedicated his whole life to his religion and to help others.Affected by her father and her brothers since Stowe was still young, she was apious Christianity Intellectual community in New England made her spendtime in the most her childhood Received the formal education at HartfordFemale Seminary which had been opened and operated by her sister, Stowewrote some religious articles when she was nine and became a teacher atseminary after graduating In 1832, because her father had accepted a position

as president of Lane Theological Seminary, Stowe accompanied her fatherand Beecher family moved to Cincinnati, Ohio While being here, she fell inlove and got married with Calvin Stowe, a professor at the seminary

Naturally, a woman with such dominant Christian background is doomed to

be pious Christian Therefore, understanding deeply of the Bible and the Bible

or God guided her thoughts and deeds all through her life

4.1.2 The author’s writing career

In Mrs Stowe’s writing career the most famous masterpiece is “UncleTom’s Cabin” As a woman of letters, she made great achievements and herworks are far more than “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” In 1843 she published TheMayflower, a collection of tales and sketches In Brunswick, she wrote forserial publication in The National Era, an anti-slavery paper of Washington,

DC, the story of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin; or, Life among the Lowly” Thepublication in book form was a factor which must be reckoned in summing upthe moving causes of the war for the Union The book sprang intounexampled popularity, and was translated into at least twenty-threelanguages Mrs Stowe used the reputation thus won in promoting a moral andreligious enmity to slavery She reinforced her story with “A key to UncleTom’s Cabin” In 1856 she published “Dred; a Tale of the Dismal Swamp”, inwhich she threw a weight of her argument on the deterioration of a societyresting on a slave basis The establishment of “The Atlantic Monthly” in 1857gave her a constant vehicle for her writings, she wrote ten novels, of which

“The Minister’s Wooing” (1859) and “Old Town Folks” (1869) are the mostpopular

Mrs Stowe other works include The Pearl of Orr’s Island (1862), Men

of Our Times (1868), Little Pussy Willow (1870), My Wife and I (1871), Pink and White Tyranny (1971), Woman in Scared History (1873), Palmetto – Leaves (1873), We and Our Neighbors (1875), Poganuc People (1878), The Poor Life (1890).

4.2 The novel “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”

4.2.1 The background of Uncle Tom’s Cabin

At this time, such monstrous absurdity appears: the bourgeoisie alwaysexplains the extant dominant order and its rationality by God's will, but theone who is under control always put the hope of liberation on God As a piousChristian, the author treated fighting with slavery as her responsibility and herrelatives also encouraged her to write something to show how evil slavery is

In 1851, Uncle Tom’s Cabin first appeared as a 40-week serial in

National Era, an abolitionist periodical Harriet Beecher Stowe is considered

by many to have written the most influential American novel in history When

she met President Lincoln in 1862, he reportedly called her "the little lady who

started this big war" (McLoughlin, 2009, p.150) Indeed, “Uncle Tom's Cabin”

was the first social protest novel published in the United States In analyses of

“Uncle Tom's Cabin”, many critics feel that Stowe's writing was deeplyinfluenced by the fact that her father, husband, and brothers were allministers Because she was a woman and therefore could not preach, Stowelet her Christianity inspire her first, most important and influential novel.Stowe was also inspired by her personal experience with the antislaverymovement during her childhood on the northern side of the Ohio River, aborder between slave states and freedom With the urging of her sister-in-law,Stowe decided to use her writing skills to further the abolitionist, or anti-slavery, cause Thus, Uncle Tom's Cabin was born

It began as a series of stories throughout 1851-52 for the National Era,

a Washington abolitionist newspaper Upon its publication in 1852 by theBoston publishing company Jewett, Uncle Tom's Cabin became so popularthat it sold more copies than any book before that with the exception of theBible Stowe toured the United States and Europe to speak against slavery and

wrote A Key to Uncle Tom's Cabin a year later, in 1853, to providedocumentation of the truth upon which her novel is based

Today, Uncle Tom's Cabin is valued because it raises still pertinentissues of racism in the United States, as well as inspiring feminist thought onthe role of women and the conjunction of race and sex Some criticize thenovel, however, for being racist because of its sentimental and stereotypicalcharacterizations of slaves The triumph of the novel is not that it shows thewidespread experience of slavery in the South, but rather that it portrays thepersonal tragedies the system caused So too, Uncle Tom's Cabin challengedNortherners to end their hypocrisy and recognize their participation in thepropagation of slavery Moreover, it argued that slaves were not property, buthuman beings with emotions like those of the readers For this reason, Stowechose to portray intimate stories to show the harm being done to individualhumans To the modern reader, Uncle Tom's Cabin may appear over-sentimental and preachy, but Stowe wanted to inspire a strong emotionalreaction of indignation in her readers

4.2.2 Summary of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”

Uncle Tom, who is depicted as a pious slave, lives with his wife andchildren in their own cabin on the plantation of Mr Shelby during theantebellum period His character endears him to his owners, their son, andevery slave on the property Unfortunately, Uncle Tom and Harry, the child ofthe servant Eliza is sold to the coarse slave-dealer named Haley by the firstmaster – Shelby because he is encumbered by debt Believing that runningaway would force his master to sell every slave, Tom vows he will stay to besold As soon as Tom is taken away by Haley, Mrs Shelby promises that shewill try to buy him back Just after being sold and on the way to New Orleans,

he is purchased with gratitude by a kindly master named Mr St Clare after hesaves the life of his daughter, Eva St Clare.

On the contrary, knowing the new that Harry will be sold, Eliza cannotstand separating from her son and decides to run away Escaping successfully,she is supported by a family that harbors slaves in Quaker village Beforereturning to the underground rail road, she is reunited with her husbandGeorge in this Quaker family, who has also run away from the cruel master

Tom becomes a good friend of St Clare and especially little Eva, whoabominates cruelty and shares Tom's deep faith in Christianity After gettingill, she accepts her fate in peaceful life after death and says that she feelshappy in heaven where such cruelty does not exist Being influenced by thedaughter, St Clare starts to realize that slavery is evil and he promises that hewill fill out forms guaranteeing slave’s freedom in the event of St Clare'sdeath

After Eva’s death, her father dies tragically when trying to mediate abarroom scuffle Tom's fate is changed again when Mrs St Clare decides tosell all the slaves to settle all debts Tom is sent to an auction market and fallsinto the hands of Simon Legree, an evil and bitter plantation On Legree'splantation, Tom meets two fellow slaves, Emmeline and Cassy Legree hasplanned to turn Tom into a brutal overseer, and when he thinks that Tom willnot participate in cruelty, he becomes enraged and takes out his wrath onTom

At last, when Tom protects two female slaves from being captured, he

is beaten to death by Legree His body is bought by his former master’s son –Geogre Shelby Cassy and Emmeline eventually escape and they are reunitedwith their family in Canada – a free country George Shelby gives all the

servants on the Shelby’s farm their freedom, and tells them to becomeChristians and to think of Tom.

CHAPTER V: THE CHRISTIAN VALUES AND BELIEFS SEEN IN SOME TYPICAL CHARACTERS IN THE NOVEL “UNCLE TOM’S CABIN”

“Uncle Tom’s Cabin” is a significant masterpiece that Harriet BeecherStowe wants to develop the great principles of Christian brotherhood in order

to change the society for the better and save people with Christian spirit andactions Her writing has an in-depth influence by inestimable lessons andbasic tenets of the Christian faith about causal principle Through somefigures in the novel “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”, the author conveys the meaningfulmessage about charity, mercy and love through their beliefs about life afterdeath and appreciated virtues like faith in God, compassion, forgiveness andsacrifice

5.1 Belief – life after death

Characters’ belief of life after death in the novel “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”

is revealed clearly through their words and actions In after-life, everyChristian believes that one day God will raise all the people who have everlived and judge them This belief is seen obviously when Harriet BeecherStowe depicts some pious Christian characters like Uncle Tom and Eva

First and foremost, the belief of eternal life in heaven is revealedthrough the words and actions of two pious Christians – Uncle Tom andEvangeline In both of them, heaven always rises in their mind and beconsidered as a final destination in their life With Uncle Tom, heaven is

pointed out indirectly in his love for little angel Eva because “he [loves] her

as something frail and earthly, almost [worshippes] her as something heavenly and divine” (Stowe, 1852, p.62) Moreover, when Eva is beyond her