Stories – Uncle Tom's Cabin
Introduction
You can listen to a recording of this story at:
http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/stories/uncle-toms-cabin
This support pack contains the following materials:
• the plot summary of the novel that you can listen to in the podcast
• a comprehension activity based on the story
Read the story
Uncle Tom's Cabin
by Harriet Beecher Stowe
Plot summary
Eliza escapes with her son, Tom sold "down
the river"
The book opens with a Kentucky farmer named
Arthur Shelby facing the loss of his farm because
of debts. Even though he and his wife (Emily
Shelby) believe that they have a benevolent
relationship with their slaves, Shelby decides to
raise the needed funds by selling two of them—
Uncle Tom, a middle-aged man with a wife and
children, and Harry, the son of Emily Shelby’s
maid Eliza—to a slave trader. Emily Shelby hates
the idea of doing this because she had promised
her maid that her child would never be sold;
Emily's son, George Shelby, hates to see Tom go
because he sees the old man as his friend and
mentor.
When Eliza overhears Mr. and Mrs. Shelby
discussing plans to sell Tom and Harry, Eliza
determines to run away with her son. The novel
states that Eliza made this decision not because
of physical cruelty, but by her fear of losing her
only surviving child (she had already lost two
children due to miscarriage). Eliza departs that
night, leaving a note of apology to her mistress.
While all of this is happening, Uncle Tom is sold
and placed on a riverboat, which sets sail down
the Mississippi River. While onboard, Tom meets
and befriends a young white girl named Eva.
When Eva falls into the river, Tom saves her. In
gratitude, Eva's father, Augustine St. Clare, buys
Tom from the slave trader and takes him with the
family to their home in New Orleans. During this
time, Tom and Eva begin to relate to one another
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because of the deep Christian faith they both
share.
Eliza's family hunted, Tom's life with St. Clare
During Eliza's escape, she meets up with her
husband George Harris, who ran away
previously. They decide to attempt to reach
Canada. However, they are now being tracked by
a slave hunter named Tom Loker. Eventually
Loker and his men trap Eliza and her family,
causing George to shoot Loker. Worried that
Loker may die, Eliza convinces George to bring
the slave hunter to a nearby Quaker settlement
for medical treatment.
Back in New Orleans, St. Clare debates slavery
with his cousin Ophelia who, while opposing
slavery, is deeply prejudiced against Black
people. St. Clare, however, believes he is not
biased, even though he is a slave owner. In an
attempt to show Ophelia that her views on Blacks
are wrong, St. Clare purchases Topsy, a young
black slave. St. Clare then asks Ophelia to
educate Topsy.
After Tom has lived with the St. Clares for two
years, Eva grows very ill. Before she dies she
experiences a vision of heaven, which she shares
with the people around her. As a result of her
death and vision, the other characters resolve to
change their lives, with Ophelia promising to love
her slaves more, Topsy saying she will better
herself, and St. Clare pledging to free Uncle Tom.
Tom sold to Simon Legree
Before St. Clare can follow through on his pledge,
he is fatally stabbed while intervening in a fight.
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 Stories – Uncle Tom's Cabin

His wife reneges on her late husband's vow and a faithful Christian, even unto death. He
sells Tom at auction to a vicious plantation owner encourages Cassy to escape, which she does,
named Simon Legree. Legree (who is not a taking Emmeline with her. When Tom refuses to
native southerner but a transplanted Yankee) tell Legree where Cassy and Emmeline have
takes Tom to rural Louisiana, where Tom meets gone, Legree orders his overseers to kill Tom. As
Legree's other slaves, including Emmeline (whom Tom is dying, he forgives the overseers who
Legree purchased at the same time). Legree savagely beat him. Humbled by the character of
begins to hate Tom when Tom refuses Legree's the man they have killed, both men become
order to whip his fellow slave. Tom receives a Christians. After Tom's death, George Shelby
brutal beating, and Legree resolves to crush (Arthur Shelby's son) arrives to buy Tom’s
Tom's faith in God. But Tom refuses to stop freedom, but finds he is too late.
reading his Bible and comforting the other slaves
as best he can. While at the plantation, Tom Final Section
meets Cassy, another of Legree's slaves. Cassy
was previously separated from her son and On their boat ride to freedom, Cassy and
daughter when they were sold; unable to endure Emmeline meet George Harris' sister and
the pain of seeing another child sold, she killed accompany her to Canada. Once there Cassy
her third child. discovers that Eliza is her long-lost daughter who
was sold as a child. Now that their family is
At this point Tom Loker returns to the story. Loker together again, they travel to France and
has changed as the result of being healed by the eventually Liberia, the African nation created for
Quakers. George, Eliza, and Harry have also former American slaves. There they meet
obtained their freedom after crossing into Cassy's long-lost son. George Shelby returns to
Canada. In Louisiana, Uncle Tom almost the Kentucky farm and frees all his slaves.
succumbs to hopelessness as his faith in God is George tells them to remember Tom's sacrifice
tested by the hardships of the plantation. and his belief in the true meaning of Christianity.
However, he has two visions—one of Jesus and
one of Eva—which renews his resolve to remain This text comes from Wikipedia.

After reading
Exercise 1
Below are 15 events from the story, but they are in the wrong chronological order. Can you put them in
the correct order?

a. Arthur Shelby decides to sell Tom and Harry.

b. Arthur Shelby gets into debt.
c. Cassy escapes.
d. Eliza runs away with her son.
e. Eva dies.
f. Eva has a vision.
g. George shoots Loker.
h. St. Clare is stabbed.
i. Tom dies.
j. Tom forgives the overseers.
k. Tom goes to live in New Orleans.
l. Tom has two visions.
m. Tom is sold to Legree.
n. Tom refuses to whip his fellow slave.
o. Tom saves Eva

Answers to Exercise 1: 1. b; 2. a; 3. d; 4. o; 5. k; 6. g; 7. f; 8. e; 9. h; 10. m; 11. n; 12. l; 13. c; 14. j; 15. i

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