Study Questions & Essay Topics
Study Questions
1. Discuss the
differences between the portrayals of men and women in
Uncle
Tom's Cabin. Does Tom fit with the rest of the men in the
book? Why or why not? How does the portrayal of women reveal Stowe's
feminism?
2. Discuss
Stowe's use of opposites and the technique of contrast in
Uncle
Tom's Cabin.
3. What roles
do circumstance and chance play in
Uncle Tom's Cabin?
Does the text use either of them to help explain the existence of
slavery?
Suggested Essay Topics
1. In what ways does Stowe present
the incompatibility of slavery with the Christian ethic of love
and tolerance? How do the novel's Christ figures underscore its
basic Christian messages?
2. Compare and contrast Tom's
three owners in the novel—Shelby, St. Clare, and Legree. How are
they alike? How are they different? Do they appear in the novel
according to any particular sequence, and if so, how does this progression relate
to the general themes of the book?
3. Discuss the role of Eva in
the novel. In what ways does she contribute to the novel's larger
messages?
4. How do Stowe's political objectives
affect the style and formal aspects of the novel? In designing her
characters to make a point, did she make them too simple? Do the
noble politics of the novel justify its literary shortcomings?
