characters are intended to be paragons of Christian virtue, and are clearly contrasted with the less agreeable characters of Mr. Haley and Simon Legree. While reading the novel, however, I found additional characters that are equally admirable (or nefarious), particularly because they display more realistic human qualities. I personally favored George Shelby, son of Arthur and Emily Shelby, Mr. Wilson, former employer of slave George Harris, and Cassy, slave of Simon Legree. These characters, although they have flaws, still maintain an element of innate decency, and therefore appear as more authentic representations of the southern population.When George Shelby still a young boy, his father sold Uncle Tom to the slave trader Mr. Haley. Growing up on a southern plantation, George naturally inherited the slave-owning tradition of his culture. When he found the beaten and dying Uncle Tom, however, his perception immediately changed and he vowed to do what one man can to drive out this curse of slavery from my land! (p.455) It was George who buried Uncle Tom, and he then returned home to free all of his own slaves. George was an admirable character because he demonstrated growth and integrity and illustrated that the inveterate rationalization of slave-owning was one that was not immutable.I also feel that the character of Mr. Wilson is one that contains a degree of inherent goodness, despite the fact that he too is what we would refer to today as racist. Like George Shelby, Mr. Wilson is a product of his environment, and therefore it is not entirely unusual that, with the exception of George Harris, he considers the slaves to be inferior. Stowe redeems Mr. Wilson, however, by illustrating his honest and objective nature. The bright slave George Harris had been hired out by his master to Mr. Wilsons bagging factory, and his adroitness and ingenuity caused him to be considered the first hand in the place. (p.16) While employed at...
