Annotated Bibliography
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Stevens 1
Annotated Bibliography: Moral Complexity in
Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Evans, Curtis. “‘The Chief Glory of God [Is] in Self-Denying, Suffering Love!’: True Religion in
Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin.”
The Journal of Religion
, vol. 92, no. 4,
Oct. 2012, pp. 498–514, https://doi.org/10.1086/666833. Accessed 27 Nov. 2023.
This article by Curtis Evans expresses the misconnect between slavery and Christianity.
Evans focuses on Stowe’s incorporation of Christianity as the true religion and Stowe’s portrayal
of Uncle Tom as an example of a legitimate follower of Christ. Evans writes, for example,
“Stowe uses ‘Uncle Tom’ to teach whites how to suffer and endure in the midst of trying and
painful circumstances” (499). This author then leads into the difference in religious traditions
and views between blacks and whites by providing biblical examples to back his position. By
doing this, Evans focuses on the religious aspect of
UTC
. This article portrays the ability of
Stowe to slyly attack the institution of slavery and its misconstrued view of Christianity.
Ultimately, Evans refutes the idea that Stowe desired the end of slavery but the moral treatment
of slaves. He also exposes Stowe’s view of slaves as constantly suffering and possibly
overimagining the suffering of slaves.
Evan’s ideas will help me write my paper because they will add another element to the
moral complexity of
UTC
. For example, analyzing the differences between Christianity and the
portrayal of Stowe’s characters will lead to another avenue of morality. The ultimate goal of
Stowe’s novel is to evoke sympathy for slaves and the injustice they suffered. However, this
article gives me a different avenue to explore when composing my outline. I will also elaborate
on Evans's inclusion of how “Stowe compares Cicero to Uncle Tom” (504). This will add to the
idea that
UTC
is more than just a persecution of slavery. By connecting Roman philosophy and
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Christianity to the institution of slavery, I will add more to the idea that Stowe may not have
been writing
UTC
for the reasons that people have thought since its publication. Expressing this
idea will aid me in going in-depth into Stowe’s motive.
Joswick, Thomas P. “‘The Crown without the Conflict’: Religious Values and Moral Reasoning
in Uncle Tom’s Cabin.”
Nineteenth-Century Fiction
, vol. 39, no. 3, Dec. 1984, pp. 253–
74,
https://doi.org/10.2307/3044804
. Accessed 27 Nov. 2023.
Thomas Joswick’s article “The Crown without the Conflict: Religious Values and Moral
Reasoning in Uncle Tom’s Cabin” expresses the religious and moral aspects of the institution of
slavery. Joswick uses these concepts to explore
UTC
in a way that connects to society and
Harriet Beecher Stowe’s desire to change it. Furthermore, this article brushes on the fact that
UTC
is complex, and readers who understand the intricacy of the situation of slavery will
understand the complexity of Stowe’s work (Joswick 256). Joswick focuses on the idea that
people who comprehend UTC as something more than fiction will see the horror of slavery. This
author bases his conclusion on the history of the Civil War to understand Stowe’s reasoning and
the effect
UTC
had on society during this great conflict. Unlike Wright, Joswick focuses on the
evil tactics slave masters used on their slaves.
Incorporating the injustice that slaves experienced and Stowe’s courage to write such a
controversial novel will help me elaborate on the foul nature that slave masters justified. This ties
into my topic because Christians are taught to love one another as they love themselves.
However, proslavery individuals claimed they were doing the right thing, which is the epitome of
moral complexity. Most of these people followed what they were taught, which resulted in their
belief that slavery was legitimate. Joswick states, “Human character is at the root of any social
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system, but that moral character, by its pervasive influence, is the real authority in a society”
(258). Information like this exemplifies the basis of my topic, which is crucial to the final piece.
This article’s historical accuracy and Joswick’s analysis of
UTC
will help me analyze the views
of abolitionists and slaveholders simultaneously. Ultimately, Stowe spoke about the moral
implications, or lack thereof, during slavery, and Joswick’s thoughts will aid me in achieving a
complete analysis.
Wright, Robert E. “Liberty Befits All: Stowe and Uncle Tom’s Cabin.”
The Independent Review
,
vol. 25, no. 3, 2020, pp. 385–95,
www.jstor.org/stable/48617496
. Accessed 27 Nov. 2023.
Robert Wright’s journal article “Liberty Befits All: Stowe and Uncle Tom’s Cabin”
explores the life of Harriet Beecher Stowe, her views, beliefs, and feelings about slavery and
religion, and all these things help the reader to understand Stowe’s reasoning for publishing
Uncle Tom’s Cabin
. Explaining Stowe’s experiences with slavery, Wright explains why Stowe
published UTC as a series of stories in a newspaper initially and eventually published it as a
novel; furthermore, Wright dives deep into how Stowe’s words affected abolitionists and
proslavery individuals; he does this by incorporating excerpts from
UTC
and tying it into his
explanations. This article also explores the connection between Stowe’s views,
UTC
, and
Christianity. For example, Wright states, “A biblical passage, Matthew 25:43, quoted in UTC
refers to prison as a sort of slavery” (386). This quote connects with the purpose of the research
paper because it exemplifies my topic, the moral complexity in
Uncle Tom’s Cabin
.
This article will help me reach conclusions in the historical portion of the essay and the
overall moral complexity of slavery. Wright’s research and ideas about Stowe’s life and views on
slavery and connection to the novel are essential to my paper because it lays a foundation for my
topic. This source helps me understand the difference between Christianity for slaves and
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slaveholders. Proslavery, abolitionists, and slaves all had different ideas of Christianity and God.
For example, slaveholders believed that they were doing the slaves a favor by keeping them
enslaved; however, abolitionists and slaves believed that slavery was evil, and God did not
intend for any human to be treated the way the slaves were. Case in point, “Harry, Eliza, and
George Harris, Eliza’s runaway husband, shoot and wound slave catcher Tom Loker. The Trio
leave him with Quakers before safely entering Canada” (Wright 387).
Wright’s ability to hone in
on Stowe’s connection to each set of beliefs will help me analyze my topic.