Abstract:Harriet Beecher Stowe was one of America’s most influential writers in the 19th century. Her novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin is considered as the most influential anti-slavery novel in that period. Tom, the main character of this novel, a black slave who believes in the Christian religion and is ready to sacrifice, suffers much from the unequal social system. The intrinsic evil and immorality of slavery system is disclosed through Tom’s miserable life. As a female writer, Stowe pays close attention to the severe effect of the slave system has on women and families, and dramatizes women’s moral authority and their important roles and power in the fight against the chattel slave system to redeem the fallen world in Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Besides, the novel reaffirms the significance of women’s influence, and contributes to the Feminist movement in the following decades. This paper aims to explore the reasons that Stowe chooses women to redeem the fallen world through detailed analysis of main women characters in the novel.

Key Words: Uncle Tom’s Cabin; Women; Redemption; Slavery System

Contents

Abstract

中文摘要

Chapter 1 Introduction-1

1.1 The Novel and the Writer-1

1.2 Literature Review-1

Chapter 2 Analysis of Main Women Characters-3

2.1 Eliza Harris-3

2.2 Little Eva-4

2.3 Emily Shelby and Other Women Character-5

Chapter 3 Female Redemption in the Novel-7

3.1 Reasons Contributing to Female Redemption-7

3.1.1 Social Belief in 19th Century-7

3.1.2 Moral Superiority over Man-8

3.1.3 Man’s Failure to Take Actions-8

3.2 Contributions to the Feminist Movement-9

Chapter 4 Conclusion-11

References-13

Acknowledgements-15