Review of the Critique of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” by William G. Allen

For examining a critique of the novel, I chose to focus on the article written by William G. Allen, called About Uncle Tom’s Cabin. In short, Allen praises the novel, especially with regard to to the contrast of Legree and St. Clare, as well as the piety and good nature of Uncle Tom. He also praises the realistic portrayal of the slave traders and those within the system using religion to justify their actions. He also enjoyed the chapter about Cassy, but has one major critique of the book.  He does not approve of the ending in regards to colonialism, and makes a case that nations are, should continue to be, and are in fact better off being integrated instead of one nation being entirely one race. He also criticizes both the book and the abolitionists for their views on equality and how they do not hold the blacks in as high esteem as themselves.

I think that this particular article adds much to the way we read and interpret the novel. I completely agree with Mr. Allen, and praise his stance, even though it may not have been a particularly popular one at the time. “Nations worthy of the name, are only produced by a fusion of races,” page 501. This quote I feel perfectly sums up his main argument. Allen makes the argument that Americans are already a mish mash of many races, and to say that the Africans are not welcome in the United States is non-sense. I think this adds to the reading by criticizing the work of Stowe and how she advocates for a separate nations entirely for Africans. Allen points how preposterous and ridiculous an idea this is, and how America is simultaneously the ethnically diverse as well as the most powerful nation in the world. He does however, praise the vision that people have for Liberia, that it will be a land of equality for Africans, and that they will have all the rights and privileges of a white man. This leads me to my next point.

Allen then goes on to criticize the abolitionist movement, saying “... their hearts are polluted, with a prejudice which is, beyond all question, a sin meaner than which none ever rankled in the freeman’s heart.” (Also on page 501.) This is something that I talked about in an earlier blog post and to me, it was very surprising to see this view so openly expressed in a piece from that time. I think this adds to the novel by pointing out that although it has good intentions, Stowe, like many others, was a product of her time, and racial equality was not a popular idea of the period. There are indeed moments of racism in this book, and many abolitionists of the time period were not in favor of racial equality. This connects back to the colonial ending of the novel, and how some did not even want the Africans to stay in the United States.

I applaud Mr. Allen on all his points, and I agree with him wholeheartedly. I feel that he does a good job of pointing out both the positive and negative aspects of the novel. I am certainly in favor of his views on equality and prejudice. Like I said, this came as a shock to me while reading this critique, as it was not the prevailing attitude of the day. I also liked that although he was critical of colonization, he did indeed point out some positives that may come of it, such as “... the right of the colored people to meet and mingle in this country-- to rise by their individual worth, and without distinction of caste or color…” page 500. Overall, I think that this article is a fair and honest critique of the book, and one that mirrors my own very closely.