White Characters in Uncle Tom's Cabin

Stowe focuses on developing genteel white characters in order to convey the actual types of people involved with slavery prior to the Civil War in America, Marie, Miss Ophelia, St.Clare and Shelby are examples of the different attitudes people held towards slavery. The characterizations advance the theme of good Christianity vs. bad Christianity because all of the characters are considered examples of bad Christianity; this is following the belief that slavery and Christianity are incompatible proper spheres of action for women and men is another major theme in the novel, with the males spheres more concerned with marketplace affairs while the females spheres are more concerned with household affairs.

However, these spheres are exchanged in some characters to make them appear more feminine or masculine. Stowe focuses on developing these characters primarily to make the novel seem more realistic. In order to accurately portray these types of people, stowe wanted to show that even people who disproved of slavery, played an active role and contributed to the institution.

Arthur Shelby was Tom’s original owner and “a kind master. The reason for developing Mr. Shelby was to show that although the slaveholder is good-natured, the slave is still unable to protect themselves. Even after Shelby had promised to set Tom free, this promise was revoked once Shelby had financial difficulties. When Shelby was asked why he would sell Tom, he simply replyed “I don’t know why I am to be rated, as if I were a monster, for doing what every one does every day.

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Shelby represents the common Southern gentleman. Augustine St, Clare is Tom’s second master and is also kind to his slaves. St. Clare refuses to physically harm his slaves and provides a calm environment for his slaves to dwell in. Ultimately, St. Clare is unwilling to act on his beliefs primarily because he recognizes how diffucult it would be. St, Clare is the representation of an individual who knows that slavery is wrong, but fails to take action against it; or as St Clare describes it himself, his life is “a contemptible non sequitur”.

This would be a common attitude towards slavery during this time period. Miss Ophelia is St, Clares northerner cousin and moves in after help is needed. Miss Ophelia does not approve of slavery but is evidently rasict towards blacks, as St, Clare describes her “You would not have them abused; but you don’t want to have anything to do with them yourselves.”  The characterization of Miss Ophelia allows Stowe to display the everyday racism present amtlngst the Northerners, The Northerners believed it was okay to tell Southerners how to deal with slavery and disprove of their practices yet they themselves refused to interact with them Marie St. Clare is selfish and is cruel to her slaves. Marie is evidently the most rasict towards blacks out of all of the characters dicussed, Marie believes that slaves are not equal to white people when she states to Miss Ophelia that “as if keeping Mammy from her husband was like keeping me from mine There’s no comparing in this way.

Mammy couldn’t have the feelings that I should” despite Eva’s and St. Clare’s wishes, Marie sells her slaves at an auction. Marie is the representation for the cruelty and monstrous selfishness that can arise from holding slaves. In essence all the characters we have dicussed are primary examples of bad Christianity following the notion that slavery and christianity are conflicting. Stowe tells her readers that any true Christian should be an abolitionist and help slaves, since all these characters are not, they are examples of bad Christianity.Mr. Shelby advances this theme through his diccusion about Mr. B’s sermon. Mrsr Shelby states that ”Ministers can’t help the evil, perhaps, 7 can’t cure it, any more than we can, 7 but defend it! 7 it always went against my common sense.” By Mr. Shelby using the ministers arguments to defend slavery, he is an example of bad Christianity, While Mrs. Shelby is an example of good Christianity and acknowledges that slavery goes against every Christian principle she believes in. SL Clare acknowledges that slavery is wrong and that Christianity is true.

However, he is unwilling to act upon his beliefs and actually make a difference. St. Clare is a good christian because he treats his slaves humanely however, he is still a slaveholder, He is considered a bad christian because he does not attend church; but he does not disbelieve in the Bible. St. Clare‘s view of Christianity is “that I think no man can consistently profess it without throwing the whole weight of his being against this monstrous system of injustice that lies at the foundation of all our society;” This statement shows that he has not become a Christian because,he would be compelled to exhibit love and help to end slavery. Miss Ophelia advances this theme because her character transforms from a bad christian into a good one. In the beginning of the novel Miss Ophelia is clearly rasict towards blacks. After St. Clare gives her Topsy, Miss Ophelia states “I never could bear to have that child touch me”. With Topsy’s new clothing and “hair cropped short to her head, Miss Ophelia, with some satisfaction, said she looked more Christian-like than she did.”

A critical moment in the novel is when Miss Ophelia gets St. Clare to fill out documents that make Topsy legally hers. After Miss Ophelia sees Topsy’s scars when bathing her, she finally realizes how much abuse she has encountered; this is when Ophelia finally becomes a true Christian. Ophelia is a good Christian however, she is not Christ-like as Eva or Tom are.Marie is undoubtely the most cruel slaveholders of all the characters we have dicussed. Marie strongly believes that slaves are inferior to her and their sole purpose is to serve their masters. Marie believes “there’s no way with servants, but to put them down, and keep them down” (page 157), When Miss Ophelia asks Marie wheter she believes if all humans are made from one blood, Marie rejects this argument and states “they are a degraded race”. As readers, we witnessed the negative consequences that followed St. Clares death; when Marie has complete control. Marie is evidently an example of bad Christianity as a result of her cruel treatment of slaves.

This theme is developed when Eva, a Saint like symbol is the subject of dicussion for Marie. When Marie sees Eva helping and being kind to the slaves she finds her behavior peciliar, When Eva asks her mother if she could replace Mammy and look after her, Marie responds by saying ”you are such a strange childl”. (page 155) Marie represents bad Christianity and refuses to acknowledge Mammy’s diffuculties while Eva recognizes them and wishes to help; this is good Christianity. As Jane P. Tompkins describes in Uncle Toms Cabin and literary history ”men provide the seed, but women bear and raise the children Men provide the flour, but women bake the bread and get the breakfast.” The spheres for women are home, peace, order, moral and idealism while for males is marketplace, violence, chaos, ammoral and pragmatism.

However we see that for certain characters these roles are exchanged in order to portray a more masculine or feminine character, St. Clare is immediately classified to have more feminie characteristics than male, St. Clare‘s brother in the novel calls him “a womanish sentimentalist” this trait actually makes him more caring than his selfish wife, Str Clare’s feminine traits are described as “remarkable for an extreme and marked sensitiveness of character, more akin to the softness of woman.” St. Clare did not follow the proper sphere for males because he was actually moral in his treatment to slaves, nonviolent, felt geniuwine emotions and played the role of a mother while caring for Eva, Also, St. Clare is described to “never do for business life, Marie’s characterization is more masculine considering she does not look after the house nor does she take care of Eva; this is neglecting women‘s primary duty, Unlike Miss Ophelia, ”such a housekeeper Marie Str Clare was not, nor her mother before her.”

Marie also resorts to violence, which is masculine, and whips her slaves. Marie is also ammoral, considering her discussion about how slaves are separated from their families, she states that Mammy can not possibly miss those “dirty things” Marie is also more pragmatic because she relies less on her emotions and more on her notions to draw conclusioneriss Ophelia from the start is introduced as a housekeeper, her new england home is described as ” the tables, the chairs, and the various cooking utensils, never seem deranged or disordered”.

Miss Ophelia follows her duty as caretaker and provides for Evar However, her attempt to have control over the household seemed unladylike to some. As a result of the high dependency on slaves, women’s primary dutys are interfered with. Although Miss Ophelia is not always kind to the slaves she is still a more feminine character.Shelby is developed as a masculine character and displays his marketplace sphere when handling his business affairs. Mr. Shelby is described to have “the apperance of a gentleman”. When Emily tried to help Mr. Shelby in these affairs, he turned her down and said”you haven‘t sense to know that you don‘t understand business; »- women never do, and never can ”.

After Shelby dies, these affairs are resolved abruptly; showing that not trusting Mrs. Shelby was a flaw, Shelby is also more pragmatic because he is willing to seperate Harry from Eliza to better himself financially. The purpose of Stowe developing genteel white characters who carry no whips and do no violence is to make the novel more realistic and to display the different attitudes, The theme of good Christianity vs. bad Christianity is developed throughout the novel following the belief that slavery and Christianity are incompatible; according to this notion, all these characters are examples of bad christianity. The theme of appropriate spheres for women and men are developed through these characterizations by the femine characters spheres being linked with household affairs and the masculine characters spheres being linked with marketplace affairs.