Stoowe's Influence On Miss Ophelia

It is not often said that a novel altered the course of history. Nevertheless, Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel Uncle Tom's Cabin fanned the flames of the Civil War by disclosing the horrors and shame of slavery in the South. Stowe wrote this novel as a response to the newly passed Fugitive Slave Act that demanded any runaway slave found in the North be returned to their owners. Although the narrative is fictitious, it still is able to tell the true struggles in a normal slave's life. Within the novels, there are many characters who are developed in order to stress Stowe's perception of slavery in the United States during the 1800s. When Stowe was writing this novel, it is clear that she diligently crafted each character in order to belabor the
However, when she is first introduced she thinks slavery is wrong, but also thinks that black people benefit from being enslaved. Stowe's desire to create a relationship between the reader and Miss Ophelia directly influences her ability to criticize this character. Miss Ophelia being the only character to have any development is a way to curry favor with all the Northern women who were reading it at the time who were insulted. Stowe making Miss Ophelia more sympathetic at the end of the novel is a way to say to the readers 'if you think slavery is wrong and want to change it then you are a good Christian, if you don't then you aren't'. Miss Ophelia is portrayed not as racist or malicious, but ignorant. Stowe makes it clear that all Miss Ophelia needed in order to understand the horrendous truth behind slavery was a little exposure to it, which was similar to her rationale behind writing her novel. Stowe believed that it wasn’t enough for the North to simply think that slavery was wrong, they needed to be held accountable for the actions of the South. By writing this novel, Stowe was shining a light on an otherwise dim
Uncle Tom was the doting slave who stood by his oppressor even if it means having to betray his fellow slave, or causes harm to himself. While Miss Ophelia represented the stereotypical northern woman who believed that slavery was wrong, but still had prejudice against blacks. Stowe created these characters as a way to expose the truth behind slavery in the South, and how the North must also take responsibility for the injustices. Both Miss Ophelia and Tom were people of faith who tried to live their life in accordance with the bible. Stowe wrote these characters in order to connect on a closer level with readers like Miss Ophelia, who were not completely sure how they felt about slavery, or those who did not have an opinion on the matter. Uncle Tom was a character who was repeatedly referred to as religious and faithful, a character that when given the chance refused to run away because he was so selfless. Creating an emotional connection with slavery and these characters, and having one person who a reader can empathize with was exactly what Stowe strived for when creating this sentimental