Protest Novels: James Baldwin on Uncle Tom’s Cabin

Despite being a non-English major, I was eager to sign up for a class called The American Novel during my junior year of college. English has always been my favorite subject. The syllabus listed beloved American classics such as “Moby Dick”, “The Scarlet Letter”, “Charlotte Temple”, and “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”. 

After 15 weeks of studying such works, I drew some conclusions. 

“Uncle Tom’s Cabin” was my favorite piece of work by far. Of all the novels, I was the most emotionally invested in the characters in “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”. However, it was not what I expected. 

What surprised me most was the amount of literary criticism attached to this work that I thought had been quintessential to American racial history. In this literature course, we discussed the literature itself; moreover, we examined critical essays to understand how other authors and scholars felt about the texts we read. This allowed us to expand our horizons as readers and consider all perspectives equally. 

In honor of writing for Black History Month, I figured it was helpful to analyze “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” against its criticism. I had been taught Stowe’s work was the emblematic piece to represent themes of Black struggle, trauma, and power relations throughout American history. But some, like James Baldwin, strongly disagree. 

The critical essay that stuck with me most was “Everybody’s Protest Novel” by James Baldwin. 

I had read James Baldwin previously in my other literature courses. I appreciated how forthright he was regarding race relations. He was outspoken on his stance on being a Black gay man in America. 

After completing “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”, I was surprised to discover that James Baldwin had gone out of his way to compose an entire essay criticizing Harriet Beecher Stowe’s work. 

I was so interested in Baldwin’s commentary on “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” that I wrote my final 14-page thesis paper on the subject. 

The paper was verbose to match the dialogue of my class. 

But what were the simplified key takeaways? 

1.) Baldwin calls “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” a “very bad novel”

Baldwin believes that Stowe employs excessive sentimentalism and theatrics rather than accurately representing the truths and brutalities of enslaving human beings. Baldwin feels that novelists have a devotion to the truth- accurately expressing the human condition. He feels that Stowe focused on heightened scenes of emotion rather than focusing on the realities of a severed nation under slavery.  

2.) Baldwin’s problem with how black characters are depicted

In a book supposedly about people of color and their experiences, Baldwin claims that there is a grave lack of authentic Black characters throughout the novel. He is convinced that some of Stowe’s characters serve as religious allegories and symbols rather than full human beings. Baldwin worries that many of the characters such as Topsy, a young slave girl, serve as Black caricatures or comic relief. 

3.) protest novels: not supported by baldwin

If there’s one takeaway from Baldwin’s criticism of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”, it’s that he cannot appreciate or understand protest novels that claim to demand social change but just reinforce the status quo. 

James Baldwin makes irrefutable points. Nonetheless, some may oppose his opinions and claim that Stowe deliberately made such choices (omitting physical violence, not mentioning sexual violence) to make the novel less suspicious and controversial at first glance. This ensured the text got into as many hands as possible.  

I urge everyone to read “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” for themselves. Especially during Black History Month in the complex social and racial climate that we find ourselves in. 

Do you think “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” should still be taught and studied? Are there aspects of the novel that hinder its effectiveness? How does the story change or not change, knowing it was written by a white woman? 

• Black History Month