Uncle Tom’s Cabin Reflection

Kaléi Sorenson

Professor Lantzer

Honors First Year Seminar

December 6, 2013

Uncle Tom’s Cabin Reflection        

In chapter XXVI, the first few lines are from a poem about death by Thomas Moore:  

                “Weep not for those whom the veil of the tomb

                In Life’s early morning, hath hid from our eyes.”1

        The entire poem is about a daughter that was just married, and then a few weeks later she dies of a fever.  Everyone forgets about the marriage, and focuses on her death.  The meaning of the first line is to not cry for those who are about to die.  The second line means that the earlier part of the daughter’s life is being overshadowed by death.  The death is so overpowering, that her loved ones are forgetting about her earlier life.  

        The lines from this poem are foreshadowing Eva St. Clare’s approaching death.  In earlier chapters, Eva is getting noticeably very weak and frail.  Her father “was at last willing to call in medical advice… it was the admission of an unwelcome truth.”2  Mr. St. Clare’s acceptance that something is wrong finally leads the reader to believe that a tragic event is soon to occur.  Further in the chapter, Eva says to her father, “the time is coming that I am going to leave you.”3  This is another piece of text that foreshadows Eva’s passing, because she is acknowledging her own death.  In the book, Stowe questions if there has ever been a child as angelic as Eva.  Every

other name that was thought of, was on a gravestone.  This was Stowe’s way of saying that Eva is so much sweeter and wiser than ordinary, living children, that heaven is soon to have another angel.4  Eva says that she is willing to die if it meant that all of the slaves’ misery would come to an end.  Of the time that Eva was alive, she was in many ways compared to Jesus.  Realizing this, the reader can assume that she will sacrifice herself as He did.  The poem’s meaning and Eva’s physical changes lead the reader to believe that her life will be coming to an end very soon.

        Eva is a christian role model to her family and all of the slaves at the plantation.  She loved every person for who they were and did not let race or differences play a role on how she felt.  Eva, close to her death, had a large impact on her slave and blood related family on the plantation.  Mr. St. Clare was immensely impacted by his daughter’s passing; she was his pride and joy.  “You are all I have on earth” he says to his only daughter.5  His love for his daughter is what keeps him alive and what drives him to love all of his slaves as she does.  Eva has a big influence on her father and indirectly mentors him to treat all of the slaves as equals.  Mr. St. Clare knew deep down inside that slavery was not right, but went the easy-way-out and kept all of his slaves.  When Eva dies, he feels he has lost all purpose to live.  His daughter had such a large influence on him, that he finally decides to rise up against slavery.  He decides to free Tom to obey his daughter’s wish.  When Mr. St. Clare is injured suddenly from a horrible accident, he forgets about his promise to Tom.  He is forced to lay in bed to his coming death.  St. Clare converts himself to Christianity on his deathbed.  He is deeply influenced by his daughter’s

preaching and knows that Christianity is not only important to her, but he has also grown to believe and trust in the Lord.  

        Eva’s death impacted the slave closest to her, Tom.  She has asked her father if Tom could be her own personal attendant.  This put Tom at a more respectable position above the other slaves, and allowed him to be treated as though he was part of the St. Clare family.  Tom is deeply connected to his faith, and he has never met another person that is so influential in their faith at such a young age like Eva.  Eva and Tom always talk about the bible and she challenges

Tom with his faith.  He considers her and himself to both be children of Christ.  The attachment that they both have to Christ holds their relationship on a pedestal among all others.  “He loved her as something frail and earthly, yet almost worshipped her as something heavenly and divine.”6  Eva and Tom are such Christ role models, that they have become a small hope to all slaves on the plantation that needed it.  When Eva dies, there is a large piece of her that stays with Tom while he goes to his next master.  He saw her go to Christ, and even in the darkest times when he is doubting Christ, he remembers the light that she has shown on his and others’ lives.

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