Uncle Tom's Cabin
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Contains spoilers for the entire book.
Discussion topics
Topic 01 of 08
The sale
What does Mr Shelby's decision to sell Tom and Harry show about slavery even under a 'kind' master?
Keep the conversation going
- Why does Tom refuse to run?
- What does Mrs Shelby's anguish add?
There is no single right answer. Bring your own reading.
Discussion topics
What does Mr Shelby's decision to sell Tom and Harry show about slavery even under a 'kind' master?
Keep the conversation going
- Why does Tom refuse to run?
- What does Mrs Shelby's anguish add?
How did Eliza's crossing of the ice affect you?
Keep the conversation going
- What does the novel ask readers to imagine with that scene?
- What did you make of Senator Bird and his wife?
How do you read Tom's faith and his refusal to betray others?
Keep the conversation going
- Is he a hero, a martyr, or something else?
- How has 'Uncle Tom' come to mean something so different from Stowe's Tom?
What does Augustine St. Clare understand about slavery, and why doesn't he act on it?
Keep the conversation going
- What did you make of his arguments with Miss Ophelia?
- What does his sudden death mean for Tom?
What do Eva and Topsy show about how children are shaped by the world around them?
Keep the conversation going
- Is Eva too perfect to be believable?
- How does Topsy change, and why?
What does Legree's plantation reveal about slavery at its most brutal?
Keep the conversation going
- What does Cassy's story add?
- Why does Legree fear Tom?
How does George Harris's story differ from Tom's?
Keep the conversation going
- What does George's anger say that Tom's patience doesn't?
- What did you make of the novel's ending for George and his family?
Why did this novel move readers so strongly in its time?
Keep the conversation going
- How do you respond to its stereotypes today?
- What does Stowe ask of her readers in her closing remarks?
There is no single right answer. Bring your own reading.