Uncle Tom’s Cabin: Short Summary

Eliza, who is a young slave, escapes from her master and struggles to make her way to freedom in Canada. Tom, another middle-aged slave, is sold by his master, a farmer in Kentucky. Tom saves Eva, a white child, from drowning when he is sent down the river on a boat, and they become good friends. Eva’s father buys Tom from the slave trader, and Tom is taken to St Clare’s, in Louisiana where he lives for two years. Eva becomes sick and dies, but before she dies, she shares a speech and vision of heaven. Everyone around her at the time vows to do better with their lives which becomes hard to keep. St Clare dies before fulfilling his promise to free Tom. St Clare’s wife goes back on her husband’s promise to free Tom and instead sells him and others to a cruel trader named Simon Legree.

Tom is taken to Legree’s plantation in Louisiana where he witnesses Legree’s brutality on other slaves. Tom makes friends of the other slaves and becomes a beacon of hope and a great source of support to the others. This makes Legree angry, and he takes it out on Tom.

Tom then helps two slaves, Emmeline and Cassy escape. Legree perceives this as the last straw and orders foreseers to thrash Tom to death. Before he dies, Tom forgives the men and they become Christians and reject slavery. Eliza manages to reach Canada after going through many hardships including almost getting caught by her masters and finds her freedom.

Emmeline and Cassy meet with Eliza in Canada. We later come to learn that Eliza is Cassy’s long lost daughter. Cassy was forced to give up her daughter during intimacy as a slave, and now she had found her.