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| Book Cover via Amazon.com |
Opinion
I picked "Uncle Tom's Cabin" up on Kindle Unlimited, and I am so glad to have received it. I considered the weight and significance of this story before I chose it, and I’m glad I picked this up. This is February after all, and we should recognize the things that are important in African American Culture. “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” is part of that dialog in our world, and it made an impact at the time it was released as much as it does even now.
My first impressions of this novel, it was tough to get through the first part of it. That didn't change much as I went, and the reason I was so uncomfortable has to do with just how far society has come now. I am not happy to read about such cruel and barbaric evils as what happened during this book. If you have never read this story, and you also believe in equal rights of all people regardless of color, gender, or even sexual preference, then this book may be a bit of an eye-opener to you as it was for me.
So let me instead turn to the critiques I have for this book and that way we can go into the positive elements of the story after this part.
My first critique falls into the “Story Structure, Foundation, and Presentation” portion of my review scoring. This, however, is more for the readers who have never read this book, than it is for any editing of the book. For the record, I do not think anyone should edit this book nor adapted or modernized. I think it’s just fine as it is. However, word choices have changed the ordinary meaning of specific meanings since the days that the book was penned. So, if you are a teenager or reading this book for the first time, or part of a book club, make sure you keep a thesaurus around. Now, I personally understood what these words are, but as I was reading it, my daughter came behind me to peak over my shoulder and read as well. She was confused about some of the words that she was seeing and I had to pause and explain to her ordinary meaning and cultural changes.
In the same category of "Story Structure, Foundation, and Presentation," I turn to the spacing between paragraphs again as I have done many times with my #StayClassyFeb reviews. I am really and truly convinced this has to do with whoever is the guardian of these "Amazon Classics" and I've mentioned it before. It just makes it so tough to read through walls of text with no breaks.
Moreover, with that, let's go into what I loved about the story, and I start first with the morale of the story. The entire point of this story is to help change minds and hearts in a time when slavery was common, and people believed we were not all of the same worth. I think the lesson of this should still be considered even now. To this day, some people are beaten or killed for their gender or even color or preference of sexual partner.
Next, the thing I did enjoy was the character building in the story. For Tom's arch, we see three versions of "masters" and how each treats their slaves. In each instance, I was able to recognize characters that range from ethical and moral to unethical and immoral. We see that Tom has a steady arch through, he stays with his beliefs, and upholds his convictions. Even when he's presented proofs or evidence that counter his thoughts, Tom's reason to stay with his views are retained.
In the somewhat smaller storyline about Little Henry, his father, and his mother, we have a different story. We have an account of what it was considered to run away and get somewhere else. We see the trial and tribulations they go through to make it possible. I did feel there was one small issue with this story, and I almost have the impression that it was forgotten about toward the final act of the story. However, that said, it has some very uplifting things to it, and I felt it was a good story.
Let's talk a bit about the overall antagonist, which is slavery and racism. What makes this antagonist interesting in the narrative as opposed to character formed antagonists, the story is more tense with the presence of the pairing. The pacing also changes depending on what part of the story you are in. During the second act, we see a middle ground. On one end the presence of Eva is wholly opposed to slavery and racism. On the other end, we have her mother Marie, her cousin Ophelia and her father St. Clare. These three people have various prejudices and beliefs. At the end of this arch, St. Clare sees the truth but is too late to resolve any of the critical story issues, Marie is bound to press the antagonist agenda further, and Ophelia is somewhere lost in the middle of it all.
I can't bring myself to talk about the ending. The reason for that was how utterly repulsive the final antagonist is to Tom and just how horrid the situation was. The part that upsets me the most is this is fiction, and the reality from what I've read from Fredrick Douglass was far worse. I find it grotesque. However, I will say this part, and that is the ending of the story is essential and critical for a culmination on the whole story. It is a complete story, and it left me shaken. This book may be tight to read, but it needs to be cherished. This is a black period of the United States, and we should never forget it, and we should never repeat it.
Score
My score therefore by accordance with the math is a 94/100. That makes this a five-star review on Goodreads and Amazon.com. I am adding this to "Mrs. Y Recomends." I believe in my heart of hearts that you should read this book and learn more about a dark past that we should never go back to. This book has encouraged me to work to help everyone I meet and make sure my legacy to my children is one of kindness to all of humanity.
