Uncle Tom’s Cabin Or Uncle Tom’s Slave Shack:

The importance of this parsimonious methodology of historical analysis is particularly poignant in the comparison of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin and Fredrick Douglass’ Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass. In a brief survey of the these two texts, they appear to have countless similarities. They both address the grim realities of American slavery. They both include intimate accounts of the interperso

nal power structures that arise from the institutionalization of human property. And they both attempt to encourage their readers to support the abolitionist movement. Nonetheless, as we can observe in an in-depth examination of the authors’ respective treatment of domestic spaces, Stowe and Douglass exhibit distinctively different understandings of slave psychology as they paint contradictory pictures of a slave’s relationship to his or her place of dwelling.

The majority of the fourth chapter is devoted to the description of Tom’s place of residence and the everyday actions of the slaves with whom he lives. Moreover, Stowe couches this description in language that suggests that a general contentedness and sense of order exists under Uncle Tom’s roof. In the opening sentence of the chapter, Stowe locates Tom’s house adjacent to Shelby’s house, suggesting an affinity and harmony between master and slave. The remainder of the paragraph is then devoted to the “neat garden-patch” that “flourishes” in front of the small cabin (Stowe 24). This garden seems to be intended as a symbol for the nourishing environment that exists inside Tom’s home and the relative abundance that its residents enjoy. As the description continues, we are told that Aunt Chloe is a phenomenal cook, and Stowe’s language suggests that there is no want of food or authority in her kitchen. Aunt Chloe serves up cakes, muffins, “and other species too numerous to mention” as she commands her “inferior officers” provides a caring, maternal influence in the household (Stowe 24).

In reconciling the contradictory portrayals of the domestic life of slaves as provided by Stowe and Douglass respectively, it is important to assert that the conditions under which slaves existed was by no means uniform. It is possible, if not probable, that Stowe and Douglass encountered very different manifestations of the institution of slavery over the course of their lifetimes. As we can see in Douglass’ text alone, different slaveholders treated their slaves with varying degrees of humanity. That said, Douglass’ account of slave life bears significantly more authenticity, if only by virtue of the fact that he witnessed the cruelties of slavery first hand. Moreover, Douglass’ “narrative” would more precisely characterized a

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