Uncle Tom's Cabin

The plantation house has a large, unused garret. Legree once confined a black woman there; what happened to her is uncertain, but her body was removed soon after. Since then it became an epicenter of superstition and ghost stories.

Cassy intends “to make use of the superstitious excitability, which was so great in Legree, for the purpose of her liberation” (565). She begins to feed into Legree’s fears. She places bottles in knotholes in the garret that screech and moan when the wind kicks up. Because “[no] one is so thoroughly superstitious as the godless man,” Legree soon falls for the hoax (567). Cassy’s seemingly deranged demeanor enhances the effect. Thanks to Cassy, Legree becomes so terrified of the garret that he will not enter it under any circumstances.

Finally, Cassy and Emmeline are ready to make their escape. They flee into the swamp. When Legree and his men go after them, Cassy and Emmeline make their way back to the house. Cassy steals money from Legree, and the two women hide in the garret. 

Legree vents his anger about Cassy and Emmeline’s escape on Uncle Tom. Legree saw the relief in Tom’s eye when he announced the news of the escape; he noted that Tom did not join in the hunt. Legree now hates Tom, and only spares him because of his value as servant. Legree forms a posse to search for the women. He decides that if they fail to capture them, Tom will bear the brunt of his rage.

Cassy and Emmeline watch from the garret as Legree, several other plantation owners, and their servants ride off in pursuit of the women hiding right under their nose. Cassy says that if it was not for Emmeline, she would let the men shoot her. She tells Emmeline that she does not want to love her; she does not want to love anything ever again. Emmeline tells her that she will love her like she loved her mother, and that they need to trust in God.

When Legree returns, he has Quimbo fetch Tom. Tom knows what is to come, and he prepares himself. Legree tells Tom he has decided to kill him if he does not reveal Cassy and Emmeline’s location. Tom refuses to say anything. He is not worried for himself, but he warns Legree not to commit this great sin. For a moment, Legree considers this entreaty. Then he strikes Tom to the ground.

Tom is beaten extensively and methodically. Even Sambo is touched by Tom’s patience. Tom has a vision of Christ and the Devil standing by him; however, he does not give into the temptation of betraying Cassy and Emmeline. Before he loses consciousness, Tom tells Legree that he forgives him.

Legree withdraws. Sambo and Quimbo are disturbed by what they have done to a good man, and they endeavor to resuscitate him. They beg some brandy from their master and give it to Tom; this revives him. He tells them of Christ; Sambo and Quimbo weep. Tom has converted two final souls.

Two days later, George Shelby, now a young man, arrives to inquire about Tom. Ophelia’s letter had been detained for over a month. Mr. Shelby, meanwhile, had died suddenly, leaving his wife and son to clear up the disorder of his finances. They discovered, through the St. Clare family lawyer, that Tom had been sold downriver. Six months later, George was finally able to search for Uncle Tom.

George is ushered into the house, and he asks Legree about Tom. Legree spouts off angrily about Tom. Another servant tells George Tom’s location. George rushes to the hut before Legree can stop him.

Tom lay dying in the hut, where his fellow slaves have been keeping him alive by bringing him water. Cassy had even visited him the night before, and due to the words Tom spoke to her, “the long winter of despair, the ice of years, had given way, and the dark, despairing woman had wept and prayed” (589).

George kneels and weeps by Uncle Tom. Tom comes to, bewildered and delighted by the sight of George. He tells George he can now die happy, and not to pity him, because he is at Heaven’s door. He tells George to tell Chloe and his children to follow his example and that they will reunite in Heaven. George curses Legree, glad that he will be damned to Hell; Tom, however, reprimands him.

At this moment, Tom’s feeble strength fails. He sinks back into the bedding, and the “expression of his face was that of a conqueror” (591). He says, “Who, —who, —who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” and dies (591).

Exiting the hut, Legree’s presence is loathsome to George. He asks for Tom’s body, so he can have a proper burial. George has two of Legree’s servants hoist Tom’s body onto his wagon.

George tells Legree that he will go to the magistrate over Tom’s mistreatment. Legree scoffs at this notion: there were no white witnesses to Tom’s maltreatment. Legree insults Tom. George knocks the large man flat on the ground with a single punch and stands over him, “no bad personification of his great namesake triumphing over the dragon” (592). Having been knocked down, Legree actually gains some respect for George, and does nothing to impede him from leaving the plantation.

The servants help George dig a grave for Tom in a peaceful knoll outside the plantation and lay his body in it, wrapped in George’s cloak. They bury Uncle Tom and lay green turf over the gravesite. The servants ask George to buy them; he says, with difficulty, that it is impossible.

At Uncle Tom’s grave, George vows to “do what one man can to drive this curse of slavery from my land!” (593).