Book Review: Uncle Tom's Cabin surprises diversity practitioners By Julie O'Mara "Why select THAT book?" This was the question posed to me by an astute African-American woman when I told her that the first book of a new Diversity Book Club would be Uncle Tom's Cabin. Obscured behind that question is the negative reputation Uncle Tom's Cabin has endured for creating stereotypes, including the "mammy," the "pickaninny," and particularly the "Uncle Tom" -- stereotyped today as the faithful, suffering, weak and unquestioning servant who bows down without protest to his  white master.  But that is not the Uncle Tom character of author Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel.  Uncle Tom is a morally and physically strong man, who guided by his Christian beliefs, lives his moral code with unwavering conviction.  He is admired and loved by slaves and owners alike.  At the end, Tom becomes a victim, beaten to death by the evil Simon Legree because he will not beat other slaves. Sustained by his belief in Christian love, Tom has the strength to stand up to evil.  The cabin is a metaphor for freedom, for Tom's strength, and for a Christian life that Uncle Tom modeled. Harriet Beecher Stowe, an abolitionist, wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin to advance the anti-slavery movement that preceded the Civil War.  The book was the second-largest selling novel of the 19th century, following the Bible. Some say it's the greatest American novel ever written and had more world influence than any other novel ever printed. It greatly influenced future protest novels, such as Upton Sinclair's The Jungle, and is credited as a classic of early feminist writing.  Many colleges offer courses of study on the book. Libraries and the Internet (start with the information on Wikipedia; it’s excellent. Also go to sparknotes.com) are packed with scholarly publications on Stowe, the book, and its impact. The novel's major themes cover the evils of slavery, the incompatibility of slavery and Christian values, and the moral power of women. It tells a shocking tale of the physical and mental abuses of the American enslavement of African Negroes. It also reveals the economic circumstances used to justify slavery, and the role of Christian love in both ending and perpetuating it. The book had a huge impact on the thinking of people in the United States as well as in the rest of the world. The power of Stowe's novel lay in its exposé of the evils of slavery to the masses. For some readers it was the first time they had encountered the conditions of slavery. When the book was published in 1852, there was little mass media to mobilize action.  But the abolitionists worked hard and Stowe's book helped them gain the traction needed to influence public opinion. In fact, legend has it that when President Lincoln met Stowe after the Civil War, he said: "so you're the little lady who started this great war." Stowe's masterful storytelling creates a suspenseful and compelling tale that calls one or shames one into taking action. However, some modern-day readers find it hard to appreciate the sentimental style of that era's writing. Nevertheless, Stowe interweaves numerous stories to create a vivid drama. She describes the well-meaning and benevolent owners along with cruel, whip-wielding ones (personified in Simon Legree). She portrays the countless families whose members were sold and separated and how they searched for years to reconnect with their loved ones. She captures the frustration of some plantation owners' wives who had no power to influence the financial dealings of their slave-owning husbands, but knew they were morally right to oppose slavery. She also illustrates the role of Christian love and how leading a Christian life would overcome the destructive institution of slavery. Stowe also exposes some historical controversies of her day. She depicts slaves forced to beat and track their fellow runaway or misbehaving slaves. She holds up the Quakers and Canadians who risked their lives to help escaping slaves. She pokes holes in the belief of the inferiority of the Negro and includes the benevolent caretaker role some whites took. And she does not shy away from the practice of many owners' who continuously raped and impregnated women slaves,  then disowned their children when they were born.  Stowe doesn't justify any of the actions her characters take, and scholars can't presume to know her intentions.  She most likely believed some of the stereotypes she inadvertently helped to create, such as the ragamuffin "pickaninny" or black child, in the character Topsy, or the dark-skinned, motherly "mammy" appearing in minor characters. Even the term "Uncle Tom" has come to symbolize childlike subservience. No doubt, she was a product of white privilege and she, like many today, internalized her superiority.  And while it's true the book triggered the mass use of these caricatures, many of which live to this day, in all fairness to Stowe, the rampant stereotyping was fostered by opportunists who took her work and created commercial ventures based on it. There were few laws to protect the works of authors of that day. Live theater was the main entertainment and many playwrights and theater owners capitalized on Stowe's characters and twisted them into the stereotypes we know today.  They oversimplified not for the sake of teaching Stowe's message, but for humorous entertainment and ticket sales. Why read THAT book?  All Diversity Book Club members who discussed Uncle Tom's Cabin were amazed at the book.  One person said she was grateful to have had the opportunity to read it.  Others enthusiastically agreed and stated they wouldn't have read the book, if it hadn't been for the book club.  We realized we would have missed stepping back into an era when great strides to further the goals of inclusion, equity, and respect were made.  We would have missed knowing more about the abolitionists who seized a Champion role and made change happen. We would have missed an opportunity to learn more of our history so we can pass it along to others. Whether the book or the history is flawed or perfect, there are lessons we can learn that will help us move our diversity and inclusion  work forward. The Diversity Book Club members who participated in the lively discussions were energized by our discoveries and the new information and appreciation of an old contribution to the literature.  We were inspired by the smart activism of dedicated citizens of the mid-1850s and saddened by the misconceptions and twisting of meaning by self-serving opportunists.  It gave us insight on what's happening today and renewed energy to stand-up against lies and oppression. I would recommend that everyone doing diversity and inclusion work read Uncle Tom's Cabin. It reminds us of the lingering influence of Stowe's time on the American psyche, even a century and a half later. Julie O'Mara can be reached at 702-541-8920 or Julie@omaraassoc.com.  The geographically diverse Diversity Book Club discusses six books a year in 1.5-hour conference calls.  Five or six times are set for calling in and members can be on more than one call, if they like, or skip a book if they are too busy or don't like the choice. Read more: Cultural Insight - Called Black: Navigating the Terrain of Racial Labels by Justine Goeke back to top   Have a comment or question on our features? Write to our Editor in Chief, Barbara Deane.

Home | Diversity Store | Diversity Events | Jobs | Consultants | Submissions | Customer Service | Search the Site

 

© 2008 The GilDeane Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Information on this site may not be reproduced in part or in full in any form without written permission from The GilDeane Group, Inc. 13751 Lake City Way NE, Suite 210, Seattle, Washington, 98125-8612.