Uncle Tom’s Cabin and its Flaws In James Baldwin’s essay titled “Everybody’s Protest Novel” Baldwin analyzes how Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, is solely written to expose the evils of slavery and by doing that she has created a morally flawed novel that directly reflects the morality of human nature. Baldwin points out that Stowe’s novel is full of stereotypes that society is slow to find the truth behind. Baldwin proposes the question, “How is it that we are so loath to make a further journey than that made by Mrs. Stowe, to discover and reveal something a little closer to the truth” (Baldwin 533). Could it be because society is so conformed to the stereotypes given by Stowe that no one stops to ponder the truth in her
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Baldwin describes the couple has smart and handsome; he states that Stowe makes these characters “as white as she can make them” (Baldwin 534). Stowe even makes George to be of lighter skin, so light that he can walk freely in the town as a Spanish gentleman without raising questions (Stowe 97). Stowe, on the other hand, makes the physical appearance of Tom the perfect image of a stereotypical southern slave; he is “jet-black, wooly-haired, and illiterate” (Baldwin 535). Baldwin believes that Stowe created Tom with this physical appearance to establish that blacks are born without whiteness, or goodness, in them, and Tom must come to this goodness “through humility” in order to “enter into communion with God or man” (Baldwin 535). Stowe creates Tom’s physical image as one that fits society’s image of a southern slave, but she shows the flaws in this stereotype by Tom’s heart and soul being consumed by love and God’s grace. Although Baldwin picks out the moral flaws of Stowe’s novel and her characters, he also explains her need to write them in a way that can depict society. Stowe’s novel is morally flawed with stereotypes because that is what society knows and understands.
Baldwin’s essay is titled “Everybody’s Protest Novel” which implies that Baldwin believes that the problems with Uncle Tom’s Cabin are a direct reflection of the problems in all social …show more content…
Critics believe the death of Eva has little or no importance, while Tomkins implies the significance of the child’s passing by comparing her death to the death of Christ. At the time of Christ’s and Eva’s deaths, they were “pure and powerless,” and died to save the “powerful and corrupt” (Tomkins 545). When these two essentially powerless beings died, they left an impact on the lives of so many people which asserted their dominance and significance over those they
Baldwin describes the couple has smart and handsome; he states that Stowe makes these characters “as white as she can make them” (Baldwin 534). Stowe even makes George to be of lighter skin, so light that he can walk freely in the town as a Spanish gentleman without raising questions (Stowe 97). Stowe, on the other hand, makes the physical appearance of Tom the perfect image of a stereotypical southern slave; he is “jet-black, wooly-haired, and illiterate” (Baldwin 535). Baldwin believes that Stowe created Tom with this physical appearance to establish that blacks are born without whiteness, or goodness, in them, and Tom must come to this goodness “through humility” in order to “enter into communion with God or man” (Baldwin 535). Stowe creates Tom’s physical image as one that fits society’s image of a southern slave, but she shows the flaws in this stereotype by Tom’s heart and soul being consumed by love and God’s grace. Although Baldwin picks out the moral flaws of Stowe’s novel and her characters, he also explains her need to write them in a way that can depict society. Stowe’s novel is morally flawed with stereotypes because that is what society knows and understands.
Baldwin’s essay is titled “Everybody’s Protest Novel” which implies that Baldwin believes that the problems with Uncle Tom’s Cabin are a direct reflection of the problems in all social …show more content…
Critics believe the death of Eva has little or no importance, while Tomkins implies the significance of the child’s passing by comparing her death to the death of Christ. At the time of Christ’s and Eva’s deaths, they were “pure and powerless,” and died to save the “powerful and corrupt” (Tomkins 545). When these two essentially powerless beings died, they left an impact on the lives of so many people which asserted their dominance and significance over those they