Uncle Tom's Cabin

Once again, it's been a really long time since I've blogged. I didn't want to blog in the middle of reading Uncle Tom's Cabin, because I would rather wait until I'm finished with it and then do a blog on what I thought about the book as a whole.

I really, thoroughly enjoyed reading Uncle Tom's Cabin. I had never read it before, and all I really knew of the story came from the movie The King and I. There is one part in the movie where the Kings' slaves act out the story of Uncle Tom's Cabin, and it is quite interesting that they put a Buddhist twist to it because it is set in Siam. But that being said, I really wasn't sure what to expect from the story as I was reading it, and I was really excited to actually get the full extent to the story instead of the small part that I knew.

The emotional appeal of this book is really what most caught my attention. I know this book has been criticized a lot for being too sentimental, but if you really step into the book and the different situations the characters are in, you would react the same way they did emotionally. For example, when Eliza is at the senator's house, she tells that family her story and struggle to escape from slavery. She appeals directly to the senator's wife, asking her if she has ever lost a child. She asks this to emphasize her point, because she had lost children before and couldn't bear to lose another. The senator's wife had just a month prior to this lost her own baby boy, and so this remark really hits home for her. Everyone in the household is keenly aware of the fact that the child is no longer with them, and they all weep together with Eliza. This is a very touching scene. And yet many people laugh at it, or criticize it, or say that things like that would never happen. This is very saddening to me, because if you really try to put yourself in their place, you would probably cry too. And who really has an easy time not crying if other people around them are crying? Many people cry sympathy tears for those who are really feeling the pain the most. So in reality, this type of scene can happen anywhere, at any point in someone's life. I find it really sad that some people who read this write it off as dumb or pointless.

Another part of the book I was really touched by was when Little Eva was dying. Yes, it is true that her death was talked about for a long time before it finally happened, but I didn't find this wearisome as some people do. Little Eva was a perfect example of what it is like to have childlike faith in Christ. She reached out physically to everyone around her (like Topsy, for example) and really, truly loved them. She had a kind word or touch for everyone, and did not hesitate to show the love she had found in God to others. She knew that she was dying, and was excited for that day to come because she would then be with God. It is easy for people to look at this kind of faith and write Eva off as being "too angelic", or "too perfect". But she struggled too. As much as a child can understand the hurt and the pain in the world, she understood it. She was accepting of her death, but she was also afraid of it. There were many times where she started weeping with her father because death is not an easy thing. The only thing that makes it bearable is to know that you will be going to God when you die. And that's what Eva put her hope and trust in. She was but a child, and she had so much faith. We all could learn a lesson from this young girl, even though she is only a character in a novel, about how to really live out our lives following Christ and loving as He loved. I was really moved by Little Eva and her death, which brought so many others around her to Christ.

It is true that Uncle Tom's faith is also one that people should try to achieve for themselves as well, but I was more touched by Little Eva. It was very saddening to have Uncle Tom die as well, but he had lived out his life to an old age. He had been able to help many people he came into contact with with his faith. He's one of the strongest Christians I've ever read an account of, and he struggled a lot, but always came back to Christ. This is very uplifting for many. However, I wasn't as sad at his death than I was at Little Eva's death. I think this is just because it really hit me that Eva was a child when she died. She was young, and hadn't had much of a full life as we would call a full life. She didn't have any opportunities to grow up and marry and have her own children and maybe be a part in setting slaves free. Who knows how her life would have turned out had she had the opportunity to live longer. She could have reached so many more people for Christ. It always makes me incredibly sad to hear about children and young people dying, because they are supposed to be in the prime of their lives at that point. They are supposed to have 50 some-odd years left to live. And for their lives to be ripped out from underneath them at such a young age...it is heartbreaking. Especially think of their parents. Look at how Eva's dad was devastated. Parents are not supposed to have to bury their children. It is so heart-wrenching to know that it does happen like this for many.

As you can probably tell from what I've already said, this book really brought out an emotional response from me. I found it incredibly moving, because I really put myself into the book and thought about things from the character's perspectives. It is sad for me to think that many write this book off as being too emotional and sentimental, because I did not find this to be the case at all. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and will hopefully be able to reread it sometime later on in my life.