To begin, Stowe in her novel begins Tom’s story at the Shelby’s home in Kentucky. Tom here is free to practice his religion as frequently as he likes and is treated very well by Mr. Shelby. When Mr. Shelby needs to sell Tom in order to pay off his debt it greatly affects everyone in the household. Tom accepts his fate, maybe due to the Christian idea of forgiveness but this act upsets all the other members of the Shelby’s home. Tom influences his religious beliefs among the other slaves and the Shelby’s themselves, giving appreciated advice to the Shelby’s as they need it, for example, during his departure with George, Mr. Shelby’s son, “You’ll grow up to be a great, learned, good man, and all the people on the place and your mother and father’ll
