Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin undoubtedly moves its readers with its story and
depiction of the kindly, good hearted Christian slave Tom, and his many
companions as they struggle with their lives, in desperate hope of freedom. Early
on in Stowe’s novel, the prominent role and theme of religion, emerges within the
story. While Tom and friends encounter many people along their journeys, they
all seem to hold a connection to religion and faith which many of the
characters use as a justification for their feelings on slavery.
While many, if not all, of the slaves are depicted as being
very religious in the book, many of the women and wives introduced in the novel
show a great amount of piety. Mrs. Shelby, along with the characters Mrs. Bird
and Rachel Halliday, all show great devotion to God and feel the duty to live
as good Christian women. It can be noticed that their religion leads them to
reach an abolitionist view on slavery. As Mrs. Bird is quoted when speaking to her
husband about slavery, “I wouldn’t give a fip for all your politics, generally,
but I think this is something downright cruel and unchristian” (Stowe, 71). For
she, along with the Quakers, felt as though it was right and in good Christian
conscience to treat slaves like actual people, and assist them in any way, as
God’s word had always said to help those in need.
However, such beliefs are often contrasted with others,
which was likely part of Stowe’s intention in writing the novel. In contrast to
the women, are the mentions of minor characters in passing, like slave traders,
who use religion to justify slavery. Often the Bible is quoted, as one trader
is quoted, “It’s undoubtedly the intention of Providence that the African race
should be servants,-kept in low condition. ‘Cursed be Canaan; a servant of
servants shall he be,’ the scripture says” (Stowe 112). Later on Haley speaks
of repenting for his deeds as a slave trader, when he is told by another that
there’s no reason to when this scripture of slavery exists. These characters, act
as though slavery is meant to be, as they look to stories in the Bible that
seem to prove them correct. Of course, Haley and these other characters are
often portrayed to be more corrupt/ less pure than that of the women. In a
sharp contrast to Mrs. Bird and the other women, these men take to the Bible to
find different meaning(s) in God’s word to justify slavery.
I think it was also striking to note these differences, and the
ways in which these characters use their religion as a justification. When I
think back on slavery, and what I learned about it, I’m afraid to say I never
really considered religion as a factor in someone’s justification for or
against slavery. Nor did I consider just how much one could twist their
justifications to fit what they believed. For I had always looked at it from
the perspective of the North versus the South, unknowingly lumping everyone
into one of two categories-for or against, with less thought going into the
reasoning behind either belief.
This theme of religion and the clash between the viewpoints
was likely used by Stowe in order to further convince her audience of readers
how horrible slavery was, and how a good Christian person at the time should
not support something of such a cruel nature. By employing this theme and the contrasting
ways in which it’s used/presented, Stowe may have been trying to get people to see
the flaws they may have had in trying to justify their beliefs, and how slavery
and religion could clash.
Stowe, Harriet Beecher. Uncle Tom's Cabin. Second ed. New York: Norton. Print.
