Uncle Tom’s Cabin · Chapter
XXII: “The Grass Withereth—The Flower Fadeth” explained
Two years have passed since Tom was sold.
What happens
Two years have passed since Tom was sold. He finds contentment through his faith and correspondence with Master George, who writes of home and the family's efforts to raise money for Tom's freedom. Tom's deep friendship with Eva St. Clare has grown; they share Bible readings and spiritual conversations. Eva, now frail and increasingly ill, speaks of going to heaven. She also shows a growing concern for the education and welfare of the enslaved people on the St. Clare estate, arguing with her mother Marie about teaching them to read.
Themes in this chapter
Christianity and Morality
Tom and Eva's shared Bible reading and spiritual visions underscore the role of faith in providing hope and moral clarity, even as Eva's health fails.
Class and Power
Marie's dismissal of teaching enslaved people to read illustrates the power dynamics and class assumptions that deny education and agency to the enslaved.
Freedom and Escape
Eva's wish to sell her jewels to buy a place in free states and educate the enslaved reflects a yearning for liberation that contrasts with her own impending death.
Characters to notice
- Uncle Tom
Tom has lived two years with the St. Clares, finding contentment through faith and letters from home. His bond with Eva deepens as he cares for her and shares spiritual reflections.
- Eva St. Clare
Eva's health declines; she speaks of seeing heaven and spirits. She becomes more thoughtful, advocating for teaching enslaved people to read and expressing a desire to free them.
- Marie St. Clare
Marie dismisses Eva's concerns about educating the enslaved, citing social norms and her own headaches. She shows Eva a diamond necklace, planning for her future in society.
- George Shelby
George writes a letter to Tom with news of home, including Aunt Chloe's work, the children, and plans for Tom's cabin upon his return.
- Aunt Chloe
Mentioned in George's letter as being hired out to a confectioner in Louisville, earning money for Tom's redemption.
- Topsy
Eva watches Topsy's antics with amusement, and Topsy has been taught to read by Miss Ophelia, though Marie dismisses the effort.
Key passages
“Life passes, with us all, a day at a time; so it passed with our friend Tom, till two years were gone.”
Time moved slowly but steadily for Tom, and two years slipped by.
Opening reflection on the passage of time and Tom's endurance.
“The friendship between Tom and Eva had grown with the child’s growth.”
Tom and Eva's bond deepened as Eva matured.
Describes the strengthening of their relationship over time.
“I'm going there, to the spirits bright, Tom; I'm going, before long.”
Eva tells Tom she will soon die and go to heaven.
Eva's premonition of her own death, spoken with serene certainty.
“I'd sell them, and buy a place in the free states, and take all our people there, and hire teachers, to teach them to read and write.”
Eva says she would sell her diamond necklace to buy land in a free state and educate the enslaved people.
Eva's radical plan to use her inheritance for emancipation and education.
