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Depiction Of Slaves As Being Abused

Decent Essays

Stowe’s novel depicts slaves as being physically abused, given unwarranted beatings, families sold off and separated, quadroons and mixed offspring being vulnerable to rape and the superiority of the master triumphing genuine intellect. Owners who tried to be fair and moral, such as the Shelby’s, who introduced Christianity to their slaves, are still wrong for using the system. St. Clare asks Tom why he believes freedom is better than being a well provided slave. Tom was after-all given good clothes and a humble living from St. Clare. Tom simply responds “but, Mas’r, I’d rather have poor clothes, poor house, poor everything, and have ’em mine, than have the best, and have ’em any man’s else”(Stowe 440). This meant that that the feeling of …show more content…

Trades in the novel usually consisted of a heavy air of deceit and lies in order to coerce the slaves peacefully. Eliza, who rested her faith in Mr. Shelby, was betrayed because he did not want to give up his standard of living, so he sold off Tom and Harry. Traders themselves often lied to the previous owners, feigning their word for payment of debts (such as a tavern bill), or greater payment offered by horrendous owners. Slave trade also increased internally after international trade waned. American Pageant describes the trade as “selling of human flesh under the hammer, sometimes with cattle and horses, was among the most revolting aspect… the sundering of families in this fashion was perhaps slavery’s greatest psychological horror”(Pageant 381). All classes had an equal amount of blame; the upper, the lower, Christians, quakers, men, mothers, all played a role. However, the class that created the most trouble, were those that hailed from the free states, “the holders, and, proverbially, the hardest masters of slaves; the sons of the free states would not have connived at the extension of slavery, in our national body; the sons of the free states would not, as they do, trade the souls and bodies of men as an equivalent to money, in their mercantile dealings” (Stowe 643). The warehouses in the novel appeared like any other house externally, but droves of slaves were lined up to be auctioned off, belongings in hand. The

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