Uncle Tom’s Cabin · Chapter
XVII: The Freeman’s Defense explained
George and Eliza prepare to flee with their son Harry, aided by Quaker friends Simeon Halliday and Phineas Fletcher.
What happens
George and Eliza prepare to flee with their son Harry, aided by Quaker friends Simeon Halliday and Phineas Fletcher. Phineas reports that slave catchers are nearby, and the group escapes in a covered wagon after a skirmish in which Tom Loker is wounded. They find refuge at a farmhouse, where Loker is cared for, and the party continues their journey toward Canada.
Themes in this chapter
Freedom and Escape
George and Eliza's flight to Canada represents the desperate pursuit of liberty, with every step fraught with danger.
Family and Separation
The family's unity is both a source of strength and a vulnerability, as they risk everything to stay together.
Resistance and Agency
George arms himself and prepares to fight rather than be recaptured, asserting his agency against the slave system.
Characters to notice
- George Harris
George expresses his longing for freedom and his resolve to live as a Christian and free man, vowing to protect his family.
- Eliza Harris
Eliza comforts George and plans their future in Canada, showing her resourcefulness and determination.
- Harry
Little Harry is with his parents, sleeping in his mother's lap during the escape.
- Phineas Fletcher
Phineas brings news of the slave catchers and helps orchestrate the group's escape, displaying shrewdness and bravery.
- Simeon Halliday
Simeon provides shelter and support to the fleeing family, embodying Quaker hospitality.
- Rachel Halliday
Rachel prepares supplies for the journey and bids a warm farewell to Eliza and the others.
Key passages
“Yes, Eliza, so long as we have each other and our boy. O! Eliza, if these people only knew what a blessing it is for a man to feel that his wife and child belong to him !”
George tells Eliza that as long as they are together as a family, he feels truly rich, and he wishes others could understand the joy of having one's own family.
George expresses the emotional wealth of family bonds in contrast to material poverty.
“I feel as if I could scarcely ask God for any more. Yes, though I’ve worked hard every day, till I am twenty-five years old, and have not a cent of money, nor a roof to cover me, nor a spot of land to call my own, yet, if they will only let me alone now, I will be satisfied—thankful; I will work, and send back the money for you and my boy.”
George says he has nothing material to show for his years of labor, but if he can be free and keep his family, he will be content and work to support them.
George's speech highlights the value of freedom over material wealth.
“Killing is an ugly operation, any way they’ll fix it—man or beast. I’ve seen a buck that was shot down and a dying, look that way on a feller with his eye, that it reely most made a feller feel wicked for killing on him; and human creatures is a more serious consideration yet, bein’, as thy wife says, that the judgment comes to ’em after death.”
Phineas reflects on the moral weight of taking a life, noting that even a dying deer can make a hunter feel guilty, and that human life is even more sacred because of divine judgment.
Phineas expresses a Quaker-influenced respect for life, even in self-defense.