A young slave child from abusive circumstances, Topsy is purchased by St. Clare and given to Ophelia in order that she might raise her and teach her Christian values. Initially Topsy misbehaves, but after befriending Eva and learning to love her, and to be loved, Topsy accepts Christian teachings and moves north with Miss Ophelia, who purchases Topsy and frees her, treating her as a daughter.
Topsy Quotes in Uncle Tom's Cabin
The Uncle Tom's Cabin quotes below are all either spoken by Topsy or refer to Topsy. 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:
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Chapter 20
Quotes
But, of course, I didn’t want you to confess things you didn’t do . . . that’s telling a lie, just as much as the other.
Related Characters:
Miss Ophelia (speaker), Topsy
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Laws, now, is it?
Related Characters:
Topsy (speaker)
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
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Topsy Character Timeline in Uncle Tom's Cabin
The timeline below shows where the character Topsy appears in Uncle Tom's Cabin. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 20: Topsy
St. Clare purchases an eight- or nine-year-old slave with very dark skin named Topsy, so that Miss Ophelia might teach her manners. Miss Ophelia is upset, feeling that there...
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When Miss Ophelia asks Topsy about her family and origins, Topsy replies that she has none; she has no knowledge...
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Miss Ophelia wonders that St. Clare lets Eva play with Topsy—she thinks it will harm Eva’s development, but St. Clare believes Eva is in fact teaching...
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Miss Ophelia tries to teach Topsy the Bible, but Topsy learns the passages only by rote, and perhaps willfully misunderstands them,...
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Chapter 22: “The Grass Withereth—The Flowers Fadeth”
...made to him in passing. Eva tells her mother that, since Miss Ophelia has taught Topsy to learn to read, she might teach Mammy. Although Marie thinks this is a distraction...
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Chapter 25: The Little Evangelist
...Eva, Tom, and Miss Ophelia return from a Methodist prayer service and Ophelia finds that Topsy has destroyed her cloth with a scissors. Ophelia, exasperated, wishes to whip her. St. Clare...
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Eva, however, speaks to Topsy and asks her why she misbehaves. Topsy says no one can love her because she...
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Chapter 26: Death
Despite having appeared to improve in recent weeks, Eva enters another downturn. Marie thinks that Topsy has stolen flowers from the house, but really Topsy only wishes to give them Eva...
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Marie tells Eva to wait before believing that Topsy has changed. Eva asks her mother whether she thinks Topsy can be a good Christian;...
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Chapter 27: “This Is the Last of the Earth”
...in mourning, and Adolph and Rosa have shrouded Eva’s room in white, where she lies. Topsy comes to pay her respects, and Miss Ophelia, moved by Topsy’s apparent change (inspired by...
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Chapter 28: Reunion
Miss Ophelia is “softened” after Eva’s death, and Topsy has taken to reading a collection of Bible passages Eva gave her before her death....
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Chapter 43: Results
Miss Ophelia and Topsy move to Vermont, where Topsy becomes a Christian and eventually serves as a missionary in...
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