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Uncle Toms Cabin Feminist Analysis

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Harriet Beecher Stowe uses different portrayals of men and women in her book Uncle Tom 's Cabin to reflect her feminism ideas.

Stowe 's description of women is usually about their faces and emotions, while that of men is mainly about their physiques, actions and clothing. Take the first part of the whole story as an example, the slave trader, Haley, is described as "short, thick-set" and "over-dressed" with "large and coarse" hand, wearing "a heavy gold watch-chain"(Uncle Tom 's Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Page 3). The well-dressing and valuable gold watch implies his profitable job and greed. However, when Eliza is firstly introduced in the book, hearing about the deal made between Mr. Shelby and the slave trader, "her heart swelled and throbbed" and then "raise her eyes ... bursting into tears ...., and began sobbing"( Uncle Tom 's Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Page 10). This directly describes her fear of losing her child and husband, reflecting her love to her family. For male figures, the portrayals of their outlook characteristics are mainly used to reflect their social positions; on the other hand, the portrayals of faces and emotions for women indicates their kindness and other positive characteristics usually. …show more content…

Tom is an exception in the book, because both portrayals of outlook and inside characteristics are used to enable this figure to be real and complete. When Tom is first introduced in his cabin, "He was a large, broad-chested, powerfully-made man, of a full glossy black, and ..., united with much kindliness and benevolence. There was something about his whole air self-respecting and dignified, yet united with a confiding and humble simplicity"( Uncle Tom 's Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Page 21). The author not only draws the picture of Tom 's healthy and strong body but also indicates his inside positive

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