even more accessible to a wide audience. The novel was sold as a bestseller novel, was translated into many languages and was adapted for the theater.
Novel is a reflection of people’s daily life. Uncle Tom’s Cabin, an anti- slavery novel, really reflects the condition of the society at that time. The Black
slaves suffered from their cruel White masters’ words and actions. Humanity and freedom were expensive things for them. Stanley Harrold explains that American
Abolitionist Movement happened in the 18th and 19th centuries. It also often called the antislavery movement 1. The movement finally reached its purpose
when the American Civil War happened and The 13th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States on abolishing slavery throughout the United
States was ratified in 1865. However, the society where Tom lives, 1850’s in South America, still manage to keep slavery. Tom as the protagonist character of
the novel is the mirror of the condition of the black slaves. As a slave, Tom lives in a cabin in the farm. He is one of the slaves in
Shelby’s farm in Kentucky. He lives with his wife, Chloe, and their two children. The interesting phenomena about him is that he is an African American man who
suffers from slavery in the Southern part of America and tries to survive and be loyal to his master and friends while struggling to get his freedom, mainly is
triggered by his knowledge of his faith. Through the character of Tom, Stowe spoke her minds. Tom is consistently trying to improve himself despite the limits
placed upon him by slavery. He knows that his position is less powerful as a black slave, but he tries to be consistent to keep his values of life, values of
equality, freedom and humanity. Ironically, he never gets his freedom until his death and he never regrets all of his struggles.
The concerns of the content of the story and the struggles of the main character in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin have attracted me to
conduct this study. We can learn that nobody wants to be enslaved by others. Freedom is the right for every human being, no matter what hisher race, skin,
religion, and nation is. The forms of slavery are continuing following each era, starting from buying-selling people, child abuses, woman sex abuses and today it
appears in a workforce of the unfair-waged labors, thus it is our concern to erase any kind of slavery from all over the world. Tom is one good example to follow
because of his spirit and struggles in facing an inconvenient life of slavery condition.
B. Problem Formulation
There are two questions to be discussed in this study: 1. How is the character of Tom portrayed in Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin?
2. How does Tom struggle to get freedom from slavery in Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin?
C. Objectives of the study
The aims of this study are to describe Tom as the protagonist or the main character of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin and to expose Tom’s
struggle in achieving his freedom and surviving his life. We can also learn that slavery is one of the worst social tragedies that happen in the society.
D. Benefits of the Study
This study gives benefits to the writer, the readers in general and the students or further researchers who are going to conduct their research on Uncle
Tom’s Cabin. For the writer, this study widely opens his mind that slavery is very cruel to human being and this cruelty has been happening from the ancient times
to the modern times in which we live now. The values of life which are shown through the struggles of the main character of the novel give a good example to
the writer to follow. For the readers in general they can gain a better understanding of the novel
and they can have a new perception toward this literary work from a new point of view. Hopefully this study can also trigger their motivation to stop every kind of
dehumanize actions. The last is for the students or further researchers who are going to conduct
their research on Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Hopefully they can use this study as an inspiration for them to explore deeper on the novel. This study can also be a
supporting resource to complete their study. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
E. Definition of Terms
To match the concept and avoid misunderstandings between the writer and the reader, below are the definitions of some important terms which are used in
this study: 1. Struggle
According to Webster’s New Twentieth Century Dictionary of the English Language Unabridged, struggle is defined as “a great effort or series of effort”
1806. In the Oxford Dictionary and Thesaurus, struggle is defined as “to make a violent or determined effort under difficulties” 1514.
In this study, struggle is a series of determined efforts that a human being undergoes over period of time in difficult conditions to overcome problems,
challenges, and difficulties of life. 2. Slavery
According to The 1926 International Slavery Convention Article 1; slavery is the status or condition of a person over whom any or all of the powers attaching
to the right of ownership are exercised. Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2006 also describes the definitive characteristics of slaves as follows: their labor or services
are obtained through force; their physical beings are regarded as the property of another person, their owner; and they are entirely subject to their owners will.
Shortly, slavery is social institution defined by law and custom as the most absolute involuntary form of human servitude.
