Uncle Tom’s Cabin in Reading 1001

Apr 02, 2015 Kristel rated it really liked it

Shelves: 1001-books, 1001-challenge, american-literature, racism

Published in 1852 by Harriet Beecher Stowe, Uncle Tom's Cabin is an antislavery book. It is a story written in supplements like Dicken's wrote his stories and the stories of various characters revolve around Uncle Tom, a longsuffering, godly man. It was the best selling novel of the 19th century, second to the Bible. The characters can be called stereotypes and this book gets much criticism in this day and age. I read this after reading The Underground Railroad and am glad to have done so. What ...more

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Feb 27, 2015 Anita Pomerantz rated it liked it

Shelves: 1001-books

Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
3 stars
Some books really stand the test of time, and some books are classics because of how important they were in their own time. This book is definitely an example of the latter. Uncle Tom's Cabin was an incredible best seller and its anti-slavery message made an indelible imprint in its time. However, as a novel, I found it to be a mixed bag. The story of Tom himself is by far the most compelling narrative. A slave belonging to a relatively benign fam Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
3 stars
Some books really stand the test of time, and some books are classics because of how important they were in their own time. This book is definitely an example of the latter. Uncle Tom's Cabin was an incredible best seller and its anti-slavery message made an indelible imprint in its time. However, as a novel, I found it to be a mixed bag. The story of Tom himself is by far the most compelling narrative. A slave belonging to a relatively benign family, Tom is reluctantly sold when the family has deep financial problems. He is separated from his wife and children and sent South, and the reader follows his ups and downs from there on in. Tom is deeply religious and basically of the mind that he'd choose to die rather than abandon his religious beliefs. Unfortunately, he is sorely tested on that front. Around this central narrative are many subplots - - stories of slaves that escape, slaves sold away from loved ones, brutal slaves, religious slaves, slave children, etc. Each tale gives the reader a little more insight into the institution of slavery, why it existed, and how slaves survived it. A very central part of the messaging is how un-Christian slavery is and yet in many other ways, Christianity is held up high on a pedestal. The preachiness of the book is in part why I didn't really care for it all that much. There's a certain spirituality that is really elevated - - especially through the character of one young white girl who has to be one of the more unrealistic children ever to be portrayed in literature. There definitely were some all good and all evil characters in this tale intermingling with more realistic portrayals. All in all, I can see how this book was a "must read" of its time, but also how it doesn't really stand the test of time. Also, if I were to be extra critical, I would say that many of the slave stories were tied up so neatly with a bow at the end of the book - - which really is not the norm in literature today.

Another interesting note. "Uncle Tom" is now pretty much an epithet for a person who is very subservient in his actions. I'm not quite sure how that reputation derived from this work. Tom, in this book, while not openly rebellious, was a man of tremendous character and faith. He never sacrificed his beliefs to save himself, nor would he harm others. His resistance was more passive than that of others in the story who ran away, but I didn't feel the portrayal was negative. ...more

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Jul 10, 2010 Janet rated it liked it · review of another edition

Published in 1852, the book is written in the style of that period: sentimental, melodramatic, and verbose. It sold an amazingly impressive number of copies in the US and Great Britain and created a significant awareness of the US slave situation. For Harriet Beecher Stowe to have achieved this success at that time and as a female writer is a stunning achievement. Because of the style and the content, I was impressed and informed, while many times groaning with boredom over the pace and wordines ...more

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Feb 28, 2018 Chinook rated it it was ok

Shelves: 1001, 500-women

So, I can see why this book has great historical significance, but man, is it a slog. I listened to the audiobook at twice the speed because otherwise there was no way I was going to make it through all that preaching. Normally I listen at 1.25 or maybe 1.5x. I was relatively interested in the basic plot lines, but there was just so much speechifying and so much God. Too much God. I did learn a decent amount about slavery in America and I understand where Uncle Tom and Sambo characters come from ...more

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