Literary Analysis

                My theme, runaway slaves, plays a big part in the book “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” in a few ways. For one, the book was published right around the time the Fugitive Slave Law came into play. This law made it illegal for white people to assist slaves in running away. Prison time and fines were the punishment for feeding, sheltering and aiding any runaway slave. In the book, there are people who against this anyway.

I think a big reason why this book was written was to fight back against the law. There are so many instances where comments are made and I think that’s Stowe’s way of pushing back and saying her own opinion about it. When Mrs. Bird said "You ought to be ashamed, John! Poor, homeless, houseless creatures! It's a shameful, wicked, abominable law and I'll break it, for one, the first time i get a change; and I hope I shall have a chance, I do! things have got to a pretty pass, if a woman can't give a warm supper and a bed to poor, starving creatures, just because they are slaves, and have veen abused and oppressed all their lives, poor things!" I believe that’s partly the opinion of Stowe (72). There were people out there that noticed the immorality of slavery and they wanted to help in any way possible.

During the book, there are many instances where slaves try to run away from their masters. For example, Eliza and Harry, George, as well as the girls at the end of the book. During this period of history, it happened all the time. The lives that these poor people lived were just so terrible that they’d rather risk running away and possibly getting caught than sticking around. This says a lot, now knowing the type of torture they’d endure if they were caught. Take George for example. He was leaving his wife and son behind and running away to Canada because he couldn’t handle the brutality coming from his master any longer.

It was rumored that if a slave could pass the state lines into a free state, like Ohio which is used in the book, slaves could find people like the Quakers to help them make their way into Canada where they could become free men and women. This became a promising detail in the minds of slaves who were ready to make a run for it.

Overall, I think the topic of runaway slaves plays a big role in the book “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” because it was something happening all the time and with the passing of the Fugitive Slave Act, it was clearly a hot topic going through everyone’s minds.