The Man Behind St. Clare

St. Clare seems to be a conundrum. Where does he really stand? Is he an advocate for slavery or abolition? Before I get ahead of myself, I suppose I should introduce St. Clare to you.

St. Clare is the father of the beautiful angel, Evangeline. He is a young aristocrat from New Orleans. Stowe introduces us to St. Clare on the riverboat that takes Uncle Tom farther from home and into the depths of slavery. Evangeline (affectionately called Eva by all who know her) persuades her father to buy Uncle Tom because she wants to “make him happy.” Pressured by his devotion to Eva and his debt to Uncle Tom for saving Eva’s life, St. Clare buys Uncle Tom from Haley for $1300. Eva’s wish is granted and Uncle Tom avoids further unhappiness of being sold at a New Orleans slave auction.

But who is this man? This young aristocrat who dotes upon his daughter to the point of buying a slave without thinking of the cost? Truly Augustine St. Clare represents a paradox of a Southern slave-owner.

St. Clare’s history is a sad one. As a sickly youth he left his father’s humid plantation in Louisiana to the cool, healing air of Vermont. He was a passionate young man who preferred beauty and art to business. While in the North, St. Clare fell in love and became engaged to a  young, beautiful Northern girl. He returned to Louisiana to prepare for his marriage and soon received word that his fiancée had married another. Pained and “stung to madness, he vainly hoped, as many another has done, to fling the whole thing from his heart by one desperate effort” (139). He threw himself into societal life and was soon married to an heiress of the South. Life seemed to be moving on when, during his honeymoon, St. Clare received word that his true love was still unmarried—her guardians had deceived the couple to prevent the marriage. With such great pain he responded to the letter: “I have received yours,—but too late. I believed all I heard. I was desperate. I am married, and all is over. Only forget,--it is all that remains for either of us” (140).

Oh, St. Clare! How I pity you! Yet how faithful your love seems to be—you care for the selfish Marie though your heart lies in the North. Is that why you cling to little Evangeline?

(406)

Feminine Perfection?

Please understand the irony of the post title. While I believe that women have the right to vote and hold many of the same jobs as men, I am not a feminist. Stowe, on the other hand, believed the feminine race to be more morally pure than their male counterparts—and her book shows it.

Just a small glimpse of Uncle Tom’s Cabin will confirm Stowe’s bias. Other than the religious, loveable Uncle Tom, the male characters of the book are rather soiled whereas the females are painted as moral, righteous philosophers.

Let’s compare Stowe’s description of some couples to prove my point, shall we?

Mr. & Mrs. Shelby
Mr. and Mrs. Shelby are the original owners of Uncle Tom, Eliza, and little Harry. The first chapters introduce ‘the House’ where the Shelby’s live in northern Kentucky. Mr. Shelby is described as having “the appearance of a gentleman,” yet he has fallen into debt with a rather shady character. Though he vehemently clings to his “humanity”, Mr. Shelby acts otherwise by selling his favorite slaves to cover the debt. The sale takes place without Mrs. Shelby’s knowledge, to ensure the sale goes through. Shelby claims no religion, believing his wife is religious enough for them both. Mrs. Shelby, as previously mentioned, is a religious woman with a kind, compassionate heart. She has raised her slaves like children, encouraging them to care for and love their children. Though married to a slave owner, Stowe reveals to us that Mrs. Shelby is quite the abolitionist. Under her direction slaves delay Haley in following Eliza, whose flight she praises.

Males: 0, Females 1

Uncle Tom & Aunt Chloe
Uncle Tom’s trustworthiness, compassion, humility, and religion set him apart from most of the other male characters of the book. He willingly, humbly sacrifices himself to protect his Master’s name and the other slaves. He is viewed as the religious leader, not only by the other slaves, but by the Shelby’s as well. Though Stowe does highlight some character flaws in Aunt Chloe—wanting the worst of Haley and doubting the goodness of God—the author’s criticisms toward the devoted servant is less strict than those toward her male characters. Overall, Aunt Chloe is seen as a good, moral character who exhibits some defiance and rebellion.

Males: 1, Females: --well, we’ll give them a 1.5

George & Eliza Harris
Here’s a stark contrast in one couple—in more ways than one. George proclaims equal rights and denounces his Master’s country and religion. The hardships of his life have, in turn, made the young man hard, though Stowe does allow the readers to peek at George’s soft heart. Eliza willingly accepts her position as a slave in the Shelby home and, were it not for the sale of her son, would be content to live as part of the family forever. She is a religious lady, encouraging her husband to seek the Lord and trust his moving. Her moral reasoning for running is continually justified by Stowe through the characters that aid Eliza in her escape. Again, the male of the relationship is seen as morally weak and dependent on his wife for religious leadership.

Men: 1, Women: 2.5

Senator & Mrs. Bird
Ah, the Senator—nothing more can be said of this chapter than irony. Once again, the wife shows moral reasoning and dominance over her husband as Mrs. Bird disputes her husband’s political support of the Fugitive Slave Law. Senator Bird fumbles and blushes over his words, leaving his wife the winner.

Men: 1, Women: 3.5

Augustine & Marie St. Clare
Now, those of you who have read the book may wonder what I’m going to do with Augustine and Marie. I believe Stowe’s intention was to (finally) introduce a negative feminine character—truly Marie St. Clare’s selfish piety stains her outward beauty. While Augustine is not a completely positive character (he readily admits that he will not take any side on the slave question), he does front some rather important, pointed questions to his wife and cousin concerning the humanity of slavery.

Men: 2, Women: 3.5

So, the score seems pretty even so far, but we should also add to the females the sweet angel, Evangeline (Eva) St. Clare, Miss Ophelia (we must admit, though she is quiet, she is not bad), and the two Quaker women. For the men, we can add the Quaker, Mr. Halliday.

That brings the score to: Men: 3, Women: 7.5

I have to admit, it’s not as lop-sided as I initially thought, we’ll have to see how it goes.

(744)

Humanity

What is humanity? I mean, what constitutes humanity? Hard to say, since the American definition has shifted in the past one hundred and fifty years. Harriet Beecher Stowe uses Uncle Tom’s Cabin to present—no incriminate—the American understanding of humanity in the 1850s.

The title of chapter one proclaims Stowe’s thesis for the chapter, “In Which the Reader Is Introduced to a Man of Humanity”. Can you hear the irony as she writes? Is this man, Haley—a slimy, deceptive slave trader—truly a man of humanity? Is his debtor, Shelby—hesitatingly willing to sell his best man—truly a man of humanity? I propose neither is, though I give Shelby more sympathy than Haley. What is just or humane about selling a man—even when regarded as your property?

As the two men barter the sale of Uncle Tom and little Harry, Shelby remarks, “I’m a humane man, and I hate to take the boy [Harry] from his mother, sir.” Yet, my dear gentleman, you are willing to separate a man from his wife and children? Are you truly humane?

Haley’s plain speech makes clear his view of the slaves: “Lor bless ye, yes! These critters an’t like white folks . . .” Is that so, sir? Yet the man goes on boldly saying “It’s always best to do the humane thing, sir; that’s been my experience”—and continues to liken himself to William Wilberforce! The nerve! The irony! He likens himself to the man who devoted his entire life to abolition in England!

I had to grin as Stowe openly mocked both men’s proclamations of humanity. You can hear humor in her voice and truly laugh with her as she says, “Perhaps you laugh too, dear reader; but you know humanity comes out in a variety of strange forms now-a-days, and there is no end to the odd things that humane people will say and do.”

As for the humanity of striping a young child from his mother, Haley operates under the method of “out of sight, out of mind”—sure, that’s humane. After all, “’Tan’t, you know, as if it was white folks, that’s brought up in a way of ‘spectin’ to keep their children and wives, and all that. Niggers, you know, that’s fetched up properly, ha’n’t no kind of ‘spectations of no kind; so all these things comes easier.” I wonder—where’s the humanity is in that?

(403)

*Quotations from Norton’s Second Critical Edition of Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe, chapter 1