Uncle Tom's Cabin - English Readers Level 3

When we open a classical novel, we open the door to multiple worlds (historical, geographical, literary, psychological and philosophical) to explore. It is exciting to see what each title means to us, who the author is, how the books were created and how they can be used to develop our students’ knowledge of language and culture.

• Uncle Tom’s Cabin written by Harriet Beecher Stowe. Level 3 reader, adapted by Donatella Velluti, illustrated by Michele Rocchetti.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin

1 Who is the author?

Harriet Beecher Stowe was born in 1811 in Connecticut, United States. Her parents were very religious. When Harriet was five years old, her mother died. Harriet’s family had liberal views and was abolitionist. Harriet studied the classics, languages and mathematics in her sister’s school. In 1832 the family moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, where Harriet joined a literary group for intellectuals. One of them was Calvin Ellis Stowe, a college professor. She married him in 1836 and they had seven children. Unfortunately, one of them died when he was 18 months old. After her child died, she said she understood what slave mothers felt when slave owners sold their children. She died in 1896.

2 What do we need to know about the novel?

The theme

When Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote the novel, slavery was very common in the southern American states. Slaves could find freedom if they ran away from southern states and went north or to Canada. The Stowes often allowed slaves who were running away to rest in their home. Uncle Tom’s Cabin is the story of a black slave, Tom, and the people he meets after his master sells him. Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote it because she wanted to tell people about the problem of slavery. In the first year of publication it sold more than 300,000 copies – making it the most successful book of that time. It was very influential in the northern states and very unpopular in the South. The book was so successful that President Lincoln invited Stowe to the White House.

The plot

At the beginning of the book Tom’s master, Mr Shelby, is in debt. He must sell his farm or Tom to pay his debts. He sells
Tom to a slave trader. So Tom has to leave his wife and children and the community of slaves on the farm. We follow Tom on an emotional journey through the terrible reality of slavery and racial prejudice.

3 Why did we choose this title for adaptation?

Uncle Tom’s Cabin is a must-read. Its anti-slavery message is as strong today as it was when it was first written. Uncle Tom is an inspirational character whose strength and hope even in the most difficult situations is a lesson to all of us. Of course the novel is long and some parts are very gruelling and when adapting we had to choose to cut minor plot strands and concentrate on Uncle Tom’s story.