Aside from being one of the most impactful and influential pieces of literature, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, by Harriet Beecher Stowe exemplifies the American experience, even by modern standards. Tom, being a slave in America, was utterly helpless of his fate and relied on his Christian faith and morals to help guide him through his life. This is the American experience that many citizens choose; They live at the will of God, and through the teachings of Christianity or a different religion, experience life in America by having a blind faith that things will work out for the greater good.
“Mas’r, if you was sick, or in trouble, or dying, and I could save ye, I’d give ye my heart’s blood; and, if taking every drop of blood in this poor old body would save your precious soul, I’d give ‘em freely, as the Lord gave his for me.” (Stowe. Ch 40).
Americans devoted in religion often live selflessly like Tom did. One of the biggest teachings in Christianity is to love your neighbor even if they are your enemy and that is what Tom does. He puts every bit of trust he has into humanity no matter how many times he is treated cruelly. His upstanding morale is symbolic to that of the Lord he praises. Likewise, American society is symbolic to the Lord’s children that are loved despite their sins.
Yet unlike Tom, most Americans struggle with either doing the right thing, or doing what is most beneficial for them personally. This novel consists of a recurrence of characters who realize that their morals have been clouded by their desires to be wealthy and to fit into American society. For example, George Shelby puts Tom on the slave market in order to make ends meet at his farm. Shelby knew that his decision was immoral, yet his desires to be wealthy enough to fit into society led him away from doing the right thing. It’s not until it’s too late that he decides to do the right thing and buy Tom back from a cruel plantation owner. Learning his lesson, George Shelby frees all of the slaves on his farm. Him, along with many other characters in this novel, are in a constant tango between right and wrong. They have difficulty in trying to decipher whether going along with what the majority of society is doing is actually right and moral. This struggle between morality and society is, in essence, the American experience.
