I'm enjoying this book. I expect to finish it soon. The story has a rich assortment of characters and shows the author's subtle appreciation of the conditions in the country under slavery. The book is clearly an indictment of slavery. Despite comments I have heard to the contrary, there is no ambivalence in Stowe's view on the subject. She despises it as unnatural and degrading to both slave and master.
But she avoids caricatures. There is a world of difference, for example, in the way that August St. Claire treats his slaves and the way the slave traders or some of his neighbors treat theirs.
And she is able to appreciate sharply contrasting characters, from the jaded, skeptical but kind-hearted St. Claire, to the stern, religious and sometimes hypocritical Ms. Ophelia; and from the quiet, faithful and stoic Uncle Tom who accepts his servitude to the fiercely rebellious George who fights to free himself and his family and unite them all in the North.
Sadly, the term "Uncle Tom" has become one of reproach. That is likely because few people read the book any more, and many who did failed to understand either the book or the main character. And some fine people have been branded with this supposed slur by the ignorant.
At any rate, the book is excellent so far. I wish I could write fiction so well. My only criticism is that at times the narrator (or author) intrudes too much into the story, not just relating the story vividly, but then interpreting it for the reader as well. It's quite clear what her meaning is to anyone who reads the story carefully. She needn't tell us directly.
But she avoids caricatures. There is a world of difference, for example, in the way that August St. Claire treats his slaves and the way the slave traders or some of his neighbors treat theirs.
And she is able to appreciate sharply contrasting characters, from the jaded, skeptical but kind-hearted St. Claire, to the stern, religious and sometimes hypocritical Ms. Ophelia; and from the quiet, faithful and stoic Uncle Tom who accepts his servitude to the fiercely rebellious George who fights to free himself and his family and unite them all in the North.
Sadly, the term "Uncle Tom" has become one of reproach. That is likely because few people read the book any more, and many who did failed to understand either the book or the main character. And some fine people have been branded with this supposed slur by the ignorant.
At any rate, the book is excellent so far. I wish I could write fiction so well. My only criticism is that at times the narrator (or author) intrudes too much into the story, not just relating the story vividly, but then interpreting it for the reader as well. It's quite clear what her meaning is to anyone who reads the story carefully. She needn't tell us directly.