Authorial Voice and the Bible in and Beyond Harriet Beecher Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin"

Table of Contents

• 1. Introduction
• 2. The Writer Response Criticism
• 3. The beginning of religious Anti-Slavery Rhetoric
• 4. Research on Uncle Tom's Cabin
  • 4.1 Racism
  • 4.2 Christianity
    • 4.2.1 Sermon Genre
    • 4.2.2 The Bibles in the Novel
    • 4.2.3 Tom and Eva as "Stow's two dying Christs"
• 5. Uncle Tom
  • 5.1 Uncle Tom as the Suffering Servant
  • 5.2 Uncle Tom as Job
  • 5.3 Uncle Tom as Martyr
  • 5.4 Conclusion Uncle Tom's analysis
• 6. Eva as a Christ-like figure
• 7. Simon Legree as Satan
• 8. Conclusion and Outlook
• Works cited

Objective & Themes

This thesis primarily analyzes Harriet Beecher Stowe's *Uncle Tom's Cabin* by examining the intertextual use of biblical narratives, focusing on how key characters—Uncle Tom, Eva St. Clare, and Simon Legree—are constructed based on biblical figures such as the Suffering Servant, Job, Jesus, and Satan. The study aims to deepen the understanding of Stowe's moral and theological arguments against slavery and to appreciate her narrative strategy within its historical and cultural context.

• Intertextual analysis of biblical narratives in literature.
• The portrayal of Uncle Tom as a Suffering Servant and Job.
• Eva St. Clare as a Christ-like figure embodying love and sacrifice.
• Simon Legree as a representation of ultimate evil, akin to Satan.
• Harriet Beecher Stowe's strategic use of religious rhetoric to critique slavery.
• The novel's engagement with 19th-century American religious and social discourse.

Excerpt from the Book

Summary of Chapters

1. Introduction: This chapter sets the stage for the thesis, introducing Harriet Beecher Stowe's *Uncle Tom's Cabin* as a catalyst for the abolitionist movement and outlining the study's focus on biblical intertextuality.

2. The Writer Response Criticism: This section explains the methodological framework used, detailing how the Writer Response Criticism analyzes authors' engagement with existing literary and cultural traditions through intertextual references.

3. The beginning of religious Anti-Slavery Rhetoric: This chapter explores how 19th-century female abolitionists, including Stowe, utilized religious discourse and biblical allusions to challenge societal norms and advocate against slavery.

4. Research on Uncle Tom's Cabin: This chapter provides an overview of existing scholarship on the novel, specifically highlighting research branches concerning racism and Christianity within *Uncle Tom's Cabin*.

5. Uncle Tom: This extensive chapter analyzes the protagonist Uncle Tom's character through the lens of biblical figures, specifically the Suffering Servant of Isaiah, Job, and as a martyr, exploring parallels and differences.

6. Eva as a Christ-like figure: This chapter examines Eva St. Clare's role as a Christ-like figure, highlighting her angelic purity, compassion, and sacrificial death as symbolic acts for social change against slavery.

7. Simon Legree as Satan: This chapter explores Simon Legree as the embodiment of ultimate evil, comparing him to biblical depictions of Satan to emphasize the cruelty of slavery and contrast Tom's virtue.

8. Conclusion and Outlook: This concluding chapter summarizes the thesis's findings on biblical intertextuality in *Uncle Tom's Cabin* and its contribution to literary and cultural history, while also offering a critical perspective on the novel's problematic stereotypes and its relevance for contemporary activism.

Keywords

Uncle Tom's Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe, abolitionism, biblical intertextuality, Suffering Servant, Job, Christ-like figure, Satan, Christian symbolism, 19th-century American literature, slavery, racial stereotypes, moral awakening, Writer Response Criticism, religious rhetoric.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is this work fundamentally about?

This work fundamentally analyzes Harriet Beecher Stowe's *Uncle Tom's Cabin* by exploring how the author uses biblical narratives and figures to construct her main characters and to convey moral and theological arguments against slavery.

What are the central thematic fields?

The central thematic fields include the intertextual use of biblical narratives, the portrayal of characters like Uncle Tom, Eva, and Simon Legree through biblical archetypes, the critique of slavery through religious rhetoric, and the engagement with 19th-century American religious and social discourse.

What is the primary goal or research question?

The primary goal is to demonstrate how characters in *Uncle Tom's Cabin* are influenced by biblical figures and narratives of both victimization and empowerment, thereby enriching the understanding of Stowe's narrative strategy and theological underpinnings.

Which scientific method is used?

The study primarily employs the Writer Response Criticism, a method of intertextual studies developed by Armin Frank, which examines how authors engage with and transform existing literary works and traditions.

What is covered in the main part?

The main part delves into specific analyses of Uncle Tom as the Suffering Servant and Job, Eva St. Clare as a Christ-like figure, and Simon Legree as a representation of Satan, detailing the parallels and differences between these characters and their biblical counterparts.

Which keywords characterize the work?

The work is characterized by keywords such as Uncle Tom's Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe, abolitionism, biblical intertextuality, Suffering Servant, Job, Christ-like figure, Satan, Christian symbolism, and Writer Response Criticism.

How does the thesis critically view Stowe's portrayal of African American characters despite her abolitionist intentions?

The thesis critically notes that while Stowe intended to evoke moral outrage and promote abolition, her portrayal of African American characters, particularly Uncle Tom, has been criticized for reinforcing stereotypes of Black dependency and passivity, thus limiting the depiction of Black agency and resistance.

What is the significance of the different Bibles owned by characters in the novel?

The different Bibles—Uncle Tom's simple Testament, Miss Ophelia's annotated family Bible, and Evangeline's complete Bible—symbolize various approaches to faith and the changing material nature of Bibles in the 19th century, highlighting the active, living faith of Tom and Eva versus Ophelia's more rigid faith.

How does Stowe reconcile traditional gender roles for women with her public abolitionist stance?

Stowe, like other female abolitionists of her time, circumvented traditional gender roles by using sermonic literary discourse, interweaving Christian dogmas and biblical themes into her narrative to appeal to public morality and advocate for abolition without overtly transgressing perceived gender and religious boundaries.