The perception of history is what individuals paint it to be. The history we know is based on who is telling it; who is telling the story of those who can’t tell it themselves. To a certain extent, we can ask ourselves to what extent is this valid and reliable?
The book titled Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe discusses the experiences of Black enslaved individuals and the trauma that they endured during this time. Throughout the book, Beecher Stowe takes readers on a journey of discussing slavery as a totaltarian government. This particular book tells the story of Uncle Tom, an enslaved individual who migrates by boat to New Orleans to be auctioned. Through the use of Christianity; religious beliefs, Beecher Stowe incorporates the ideology of salvation in her work through the character of young Eva. This is shown by the actions of Uncle Tom in relation to Eva.
Uncle Tom saves Eva’s life, and as a reward – is bought by Eva’s father, Augustine St. and taken into their family. Here, he is treated fairly well, with a few hiccups. Eva and Uncle Tom eventually become close, leading to Eva becoming ill. On her deathbed, Eva convinces her father to free the slaves and let them free. Like most stories, as soon as he is about to do just that- Augustine St. dies. Uncle Tom remains obedient to White individuals, while adding onto the systematic oppression of the Black community. I find this particularly interesting in the correlation in the Christianity religion.
With no sense of agency, Uncle Tom becomes an excessively subservient individual. These characteristics have now popularized the common stereotype towards the Black community of “Uncle Tom” – serving as an insult to those who identify as Black; This is used to describe a Black individual who has the same racist ideology of White people. Language and stereotypes in the novel are super important in the overall character development of individuals. Community and cultural beliefs influences individuals positionality on racism and slavery as well. Such books’ need to be taught and read in schools, community spaces, non-profit organizations, and more. Storytelling is dependent on who the storyteller is, their experiences, and their positionality on such a topic. Stereotypes grow on societal engagement. It begins with the societies we are placed in and what our religion, political views, and stances are.
While religion can seem like an odd topic to incorporate into books- unless it’s the Bible or a religious literary text, it is unique to incorporate in the book of Uncle’s Tom’s Cabin. Stories should not be left untold nor untouched. They should be told directly from the source. I encourage you to tell your story as well.