Race and the American Novel Part 1 Blog 3

One prominent theme in Uncle Tom’s Cabin, by Harriet Beecher Stowe, is the use of religion. Religion was valued by women and slaves, but not by white men. This is shown by the different spheres we discussed in class. There is the public sphere, which included men, and there was the private sphere, which included women and family. The private sphere was domestic where as we described in class, “women were powerless, naturally confined and had no desire to speak”. Religion was also included in the private sphere.

Religion was used as a tool to both justify slavery and oppose slavery. Marie St. Clare used religion to support and reinforce slavery. At one point Marie was describing the preachers sermon to St. Clare saying, “It was so appropriate, you now, and beautiful, that some should be high and some low, and that some were born to rule and some to serve (…) he proved distinctly that the Bible was on our side, and supported all our institutions so convincingly” (166 Stowe). I question if everyone who heard the same sermon felt the same way, especially Eva.

Others like Mrs. Bird use religion to oppose slavery. Mrs. Bird was arguing with her Mr. Bird about weather slavery was right or wrong and as Kayla said in her blog, “Mary makes a point using religion as a weapon”. Mary Bird says, “Obeying God never brings on public evils. I know it can’t. It’s always safest, all round, to do as He bids us” (73 Stowe). Mary Bird uses religion in a very different way compared to Marie St. Clare. Mrs. Bird feel that being Christian entails helping those around you that are in need, including the runaway slaves.  

I find it very confusing how Stowe uses one of the biggest themes of the story in this way, just as Michelle said in her blog, “How can religion explain two different sides of slavery? Why would Stowe use religion as a tool in each defense?” It would be interesting to see if all the white males in the story would still view slavery the same way if they were religious. One white male character, St. Clare, early on has an interesting opinion about religion. He says, “Is what you hear at church religion? Is hat which can bend and turn, and descend and ascend, to fit every crooked phase of selfish, worldly society, religion? (167 Stowe). I think St. Clare makes a great point, that what Marie St. Clare is trying to tell him is religion, he cannot possibly understand to be religion.

I think Stowe may have decided to use religion in this way so that all readers can understand different perspectives. Readers can get into the minds of other people who have different views of the same topic and try to understand one another.

Works Cited

Kayla’s Blog: http://blogswithfriendsatuwmanty.blogspot.com/

Michelle’s Blog: http://americanauthorsandtheirliterature.blogspot.com/2015_02_01_archive.html

Stowe, Harriet Beecher. Ed. Elizabeth Ammons. New York: W.W. Norton, 1994. Print.