A very old and feeble slave woman, Lucy is helped by Uncle Tom on Legree’s plantation—he puts additional cotton in her bag, so that she “makes weight” and is not beaten. When Legree demands that she be beaten anyway, Tom refuses, saying he cannot hurt a fellow human being. Lucy also happens, coincidentally, to be the name of the slave woman on La Belle Riviere, whose child is purchased by Legree. This Lucy later kills herself out of despair by throwing herself overboard.
Lucy, or “Luce” Quotes in Uncle Tom's Cabin
The Uncle Tom's Cabin quotes below are all either spoken by Lucy, or “Luce” or refer to Lucy, or “Luce”. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 12
Quotes
I know this yer comes kinder hard, at first, Lucy . . . but such a smart, sensible gal as you are, won’t give way to it. You see it’s necessary, and can’t be helped!
Related Characters:
Haley (speaker), Lucy, or “Luce”
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
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Lucy, or “Luce” Character Timeline in Uncle Tom's Cabin
The timeline below shows where the character Lucy, or “Luce” appears in Uncle Tom's Cabin. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 12: Select Incident of Lawful Trade
A slave woman, Lucy, who had been told by her master that she and her daughter would be sent...
(full context)
Tom offers comfort to Lucy but she shrugs it off, moans to herself. That night, she falls overboard and drowns....
(full context)
Chapter 33: Cassy
...in the fields and appears not to belong in them. Tom helps another old woman, Luce, by placing some of his cotton into her bag to make sure she ends up...
(full context)
...but, realizing that it is Cassy, he goes away sheepishly. Sambo has seen Tom aiding Luce, and Legree resolves that the way he will “harden” Tom is by forcing him to...
(full context)
Chapter 36: Emmeline and Cassy
...the previous day. Tom refuses, since he believes he acted correctly in refusing to whip Lucy. Tom repeats that, although Legree can harm his body, he cannot take Tom’s soul. Tom...
(full context)