Uncle Tom’s Cabin · Chapter
Emmeline and Cassy explained
Cassy comforts Emmeline, who is terrified by Legree's violent behavior, and reveals the horrors of their situation.
What happens
Cassy comforts Emmeline, who is terrified by Legree's violent behavior, and reveals the horrors of their situation. Meanwhile, Legree has a nightmare about his mother and wakes in a rage. Cassy manipulates Legree by appealing to his greed over the cotton crop to protect Tom, who refuses to submit. Tom declares his faith in God, and Cassy's intervention momentarily spares him from further brutality.
Themes in this chapter
Resistance and Agency
Tom's steadfast refusal to submit to Legree, even under threat of death, exemplifies spiritual resistance. Cassy also exercises agency by manipulating Legree to protect Tom.
Motherhood and Sacrifice
Legree's nightmare features his mother's veiled figure, symbolizing guilt and lost innocence. Cassy laments her lost daughter and the generational curse of slavery.
Slavery and Inhumanity
The chapter depicts the dehumanizing conditions of slavery, including Legree's violent temper, the threat of torture, and Cassy's despair over the inescapable cycle of suffering.
Characters to notice
- Cassy
Cassy advises Emmeline and uses her cunning to manipulate Legree, appealing to his greed to protect Tom. She reveals her own despair and history of suffering.
- Emmeline
Emmeline is terrified and desperate to escape, but Cassy warns her of the futility and danger of attempting flight.
- Simon Legree
Legree experiences a haunting nightmare about his mother and wakes in a rage. He is momentarily swayed by Cassy's manipulation but vows future revenge on Tom.
- Uncle Tom
Tom refuses to submit to Legree, declaring his faith in God and his willingness to die rather than give up his soul. He is saved from immediate harm by Cassy's intervention.
Key passages
“O! how dares the bad soul to enter the shadowy world of sleep?—that land whose dim outlines lie so fearfully near to the mystic scene of retribution!”
The narrator questions how an evil person can dare to sleep, as dreams bring them close to the realm of divine judgment.
This reflects the theme of moral conscience and supernatural retribution.
“I'll hold on to the Lord, and put his commands before all—die or live; you may be sure on't. Mas'r Legree, I ain't a grain afeard to die.”
Tom declares he will obey God above all else and is not afraid to die, no matter what Legree does to him.
Tom's unwavering faith and resistance are central to his character.
“What use is it for mothers to say anything? You are all to be bought and paid for, and your souls belong to whoever gets you.”
Cassy bitterly remarks that a mother's advice is meaningless because enslaved people are property whose very souls are owned by their masters.
This highlights the theme of motherhood and the powerlessness of enslaved families.