摘 要

斯托夫人的《汤姆叔叔的小屋》是 19 世纪一部经典的抨击黑奴制的小说，是废奴文学的代表作，并被认为是触发南北战争的导火索。该小说主要讲述了以汤姆为首的黑人奴隶们在奴隶制下各自不同的遭遇和生存状态，他们或顺从屈服，或反叛斗争，或假借奴隶主的权力耀武扬威，这一切无一不在默默抨击着黑奴制的残忍与不公正。本文主要借助人物对比分析的角度，从环境、性格、身份等方面入手，着重分析主人公汤姆叔叔和书中另一青年乔治哈里斯这两个人物形象，并探讨这两个人物虽同为黑奴，但最终命运却迥然不同的诸多原因。

关键词：汤姆；乔治•哈里斯；斯托夫人

Contents

1. Introduction 1
2. Demonstration 2
   1. Background 2
      1. Social background 2
      2. Brief introduction of Uncle Tom and George Harris 3
   2. Comparison between Uncle Tom and George Harris 4
      1. Different living environment 4
      2. Different identity 5
      3. Different personality 6
      4. Different understanding of Christianity 7
      5. Different fate 8
3. Conclusion 9

Works Cited 10

Bibliography 11

A Comparative Analysis of Uncle Tom and George Harris in Uncle Tom’s Cabin

Introduction

At the end of the 15th century, after the establishment of colonial rule in America, European colonialists solved the problem of the labor force in the colonies. At the same time they enslaved the Indians, they also transported a large number of black people from Africa into slavery.

In addition to engaging in various types of plantation work, black slaves also engaged in grazing, mining, and serving as domestic servants. Slave owners also sent slaves to carry things and work for handicraft production, but these slaves were required to pay their owners the required amount. Black slaves made great contributions to the development of the American colonies and economic development. In spite of this, the treatment of the slaves was extremely tragic. They were treated as "talking animals" and are left to slave owners. The slave owners did not bear any legal responsibility for killing the slaves. “Black slaves' marriage and

other agreements are not binding and everything is determined by the needs of white

people.”（Huggins 150）

"Uncle Tom's Cabin" is an anti-slavery novel published by the American writer Harriet Beecher Stowe (Mrs. Stowe)in 1852. The novel’s views on African-Americans and American slavery had a profound impact and, to some extent, intensified local conflicts in the region and led to the American Civil War. "Uncle Tom's Cabin" was the best-selling novel of the 19th century and was considered to be a major reason for the rise of abolitionism in the 1850s. In its first year of publication, it sold 300,000 copies in the United States. The influence of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" on American society was so great that when Lincoln met Mrs. Stowe in the early days of the Civil War, he said, “You are the little woman who caused a war.” Later, this sentence was quoted by many writers. Jane Tompkins once states that “the novel is one of the classics of American literature and wonders if many literary critics dismiss the book

because it was simply too popular during its day.”(269-272).

In Uncle Tom's Cabin, the author describes and portrays a wide variety of characters, both depicting and shaping the different manifestations and personalities of various black slaves, as well as the portrayal of slave owners. Through detailed descriptions of various characters, the author profoundly reflected the social system of the United States at that time, exposing the tragic life of black people under slavery, expressing the author’s deep sympathy for slaves, and promoting the courageous spirit of the slaves’ struggle to resist. Many of the characters in her pen are vivid and impressive. For example, the protagonist of the book - Devotional Christians, Obedient Tom; a rebellious female slave, Eliza, and her husband, George Harris, who is not willing to let the slave owner decide their fate; the real angel Eva; brutal slave Lord Lorry and hypocrisy Shelby. In this thesis, Tom and George Harris will be singled out for comparison.

As regards my thesis, I will attempt to analyze the reason why people end up differently ultimately. That is to say, in the face of the almost same plight and dilemma, why someone has the guts to fight with atrocious host, but the other one chooses to resign himself to fate? By accident, a Chinese old saying goes that one’s personality determines his or her fate, which is believed by most people. Maybe, it’s the differences in them that bring about different destinies. Worse still, I postulate we may be confronted with similar trouble one day, how we’re supposed to take action to protect ourselves from others’ oppression?