Uncle Tom has been a good and faithful servant (slave) for the entirety of his (now adult) Master's life. He has been dealt with fairly and kindly by the Master, his wife and son. However, the Master gets into some debt and decides to settle up by not only selling Tom, but also the young mulatto boy of the demure house slave Eliza. This is despite the Master's various estates, numerous horses, and opulant style of living.
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Eliza overhears this plan, and runs away with her boy; refusing to give him up. Tom, on the other hand, decides to remain loyal to his Master's wishes and put his faith in God.
What ensues is the harrowing flight of Eliza, her husband George, and their child to Canada. Aided by kind strangers, and Godly Quakers, they fight for man's basic rights - freedom. Tom, on the other hand, is sold down the river. He witnesses many brutal and heartwrenching events before being bought by a young, intelligent dandy and his angelic daughter. It is here that we find a curious sentiment towards the humanity of the slaves, and find a northern abolition-minded woman showing her disgust at ugly and spirited little Topsy.
After a few years, when Uncle Tom is on the brink of being granted freedom by this benevolent new Master, the man dies suddenly. Tom is then sold once more to a beast of a farmer, who abuses slaves in the worst ways he can imagine.
This book does not pull any punches. It shows the brutality of slavery in explicit detail, and the narrative is amazing in its ability to capture the sentiment of the time.
The review of this Book prepared by Gerri Mahn
