Style
Uncle Tom's Cabin
by Harriet Beecher Stowe

Uncle Tom's Cabin: Style 1 key example

Chapter 7: The Mother’s Struggle
Explanation and Analysis:

Uncle Tom's Cabin's style is formal, sentimental, and melodramatic. At the time of the novel's publication, most American citizens were unaware of the hardships African Americans faced while living under the system of slavery. Beecher Stowe was an active abolitionist and opposed the institution of slavery; she explicitly wrote the novel Uncle Tom's Cabin to be an anti-slavery tract—essentially a sermon in the form of a novel meant to convince a Christian audience of slavery's moral wrong. Because of this intention, Beecher Stowe writes with purpose, using specific language that will appeal to the reader's emotions throughout the novel. In turn, Beecher Stowe places the reader in a certain frame of mind and mood, allowing them to better understand and empathize with the novel's characters.