Uncle Tom's Cabin By Harriet Beecher Stowe: Literary Analysis
Mightier than the Sword by David S. Reynolds was written to help readers understand why Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe was such an influential novel in America during it’s time, as well as today. Reynolds is a well-known author and professor originally from Rhode Island who “in the field of criticism,… argues that America’s classic literature is defined by its radical openness to biographical, political, social, and cultural images…” (Reynolds, 2016). Mightier than the Sword summarizes going into depth about the lasting effects of author Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin. “The issues at the heart of Uncle Tom’s Cabin—race, religion, gender, law, morality, democracy—are just as vital today as they were in Stowe’s time.
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Stowe married a leading biblical scholar, Calvin Stowe on January 6, 1836 whom she had seven children with. She was very religious and believed she was a visionary, she could see angels and God spoke to her and through her. Stowe felt as though, “blacks had the capacity to outshine whites in what counted most—true religion and richly human expressiveness” (Reynolds, 39). She was very passionate about blacks and their capabilities, which could be why many southerners were upset when her book was published. “Altogether, Uncle Tom’s Cabin went a long way toward winning Christianity for the antislavery cause” (Reynolds, 41). Winning Christianity for the antislavery cause was not an easy task, as many had found examples of slavery in the Old Testament and it was never frowned upon in the New. Bringing race and religion into one issue stirred up many questions among more places than just the United States. Nations such as Russia, France, and Germany had revolutions fueled by Uncle Tom’s Cabin; the novel was even banned in Russia for a few …show more content…
“Lippard and Stowe shared a vision of America as the place God had chosen to restore social equality” (Reynolds, 74). He gives examples of whom also agreed with her thoughts and helped to mold the public opinion to be more like her opinion. Reynolds also gives specific examples of how it molded public opinion like no other work when it was published as well as today. “Actually, the influence of Stowe’s novel had grown exponentially since the Civil War and would continue to expand in the twentieth century, with its effects still widely felt today. If we trace the history of Uncle Tom’s Cabin over this period. We see that its cultural power resulted not only from the novel but also from its many spin offs—particularly plays, songs, and films—that swayed millions who never read the novel” (Reynolds, 173). He lets his reader know that even without reading the novel, many were influenced by the things that came from
Stowe married a leading biblical scholar, Calvin Stowe on January 6, 1836 whom she had seven children with. She was very religious and believed she was a visionary, she could see angels and God spoke to her and through her. Stowe felt as though, “blacks had the capacity to outshine whites in what counted most—true religion and richly human expressiveness” (Reynolds, 39). She was very passionate about blacks and their capabilities, which could be why many southerners were upset when her book was published. “Altogether, Uncle Tom’s Cabin went a long way toward winning Christianity for the antislavery cause” (Reynolds, 41). Winning Christianity for the antislavery cause was not an easy task, as many had found examples of slavery in the Old Testament and it was never frowned upon in the New. Bringing race and religion into one issue stirred up many questions among more places than just the United States. Nations such as Russia, France, and Germany had revolutions fueled by Uncle Tom’s Cabin; the novel was even banned in Russia for a few …show more content…
“Lippard and Stowe shared a vision of America as the place God had chosen to restore social equality” (Reynolds, 74). He gives examples of whom also agreed with her thoughts and helped to mold the public opinion to be more like her opinion. Reynolds also gives specific examples of how it molded public opinion like no other work when it was published as well as today. “Actually, the influence of Stowe’s novel had grown exponentially since the Civil War and would continue to expand in the twentieth century, with its effects still widely felt today. If we trace the history of Uncle Tom’s Cabin over this period. We see that its cultural power resulted not only from the novel but also from its many spin offs—particularly plays, songs, and films—that swayed millions who never read the novel” (Reynolds, 173). He lets his reader know that even without reading the novel, many were influenced by the things that came from