and striking Tom a heavy blow across the cheek, and following up the infliction by a shower of blows” (Stowe 386). Uncle Tom then raised his hand to wipe the blood from his face and exclaimed, “Mas’r, I never shall do it, -never!” (Stowe 386). Without his faith, Uncle Tom would have surrendered to the physical hardships of slavery. However, possessing his faith, allowed him the capacity to withstand all physical suffering. This is made clear to the reader in the chapter. Simon Legree longs for something he cannot possess; faith. It is human nature to be selfish. When one does not have something, they do not want another individual to possess the same thing. This appears to be the situation in this case. Legree desires Uncle Tom’s faith or faith in general, but he has no capacity for it. Instead, he tries to make Uncle Tom his scapegoat. Tom, however, stands firm when he says, “No! no! no! my soul an’t yours, Mas’r! You haven’t bought it, -ye can’t buy it! It’s been bought and paid for, by one that is able to keep it; -no matter, no matter, you can’t harm me!” (Stowe 387).To be honest, reading Uncle Tom’s Cabin was no easy task. The story does have an impact that resides in my brain however. To think that slavery was actually a way of life in our own country, the United States of America, is unbearable. The idea that there are inferior and superior human beings is absurd. Nevertheless, this still goes on in our country to this very day. Reading Uncle Tom’s Cabin has made me more alert of my actions, not only toward people of the different races, but people of the opposite sex as well. I think that Uncle Tom’s Cabin should be a mandatory reading in high schools nationwide. Our country has come a long way since Uncle Tom’s era, but it is ironic how history has the propensity of repeating itself....
