Loss of the Didactive Element

Within stories such as The Wide, Wide World, where the focus was on a middle upper class white family, lessons of morality, religion and education are themes that are at the core of the story. Uncle Tom’s Cabin however shows a different view of children during the time of slavery. Unlike the light and almost dull lifestyle of Ellen Montgomery, the world of a black slave in Uncle Tom’s Cabin is far from light and dull. As Stowe presents the character of Haley, who is a trader, it is apparent that his heart has been so hardened by slavery that he is less humane then they consider the slaves to be.

The children throughout the story are forced with the reality that family does not last long and when someone leaves it is most likely forever. This is depicted when Tom leaves his family and “the two boys, who now seemed to comprehend at once their father's destiny, clung to her gown, sobbing and groaning vehemently” (169). In children’s literature parents are the teachers to their children in order to ensure a brighter future, but in the case of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, children are not promised many years with their parents if any.

This race against time is seen again when the mother and son are both up for sale at the auction and Haley only buys the son. She responds to this tragic loss by saying, "Couldn't dey leave me one? Mas'r allers said I should have one, -- he did," she repeated over and over, in heart-broken tones” (197). In The Wide, Wide World tears were often suppressed, but here the mother does not hold back her tears because she loses her son to animalistic men and has already lost all of her other children to slavery. The families that are torn apart in this story have little time together and the time they have together is so treasured, that teaching them lessons about how to maintain good morals does not come into play.

When Haley sells Lucy’s ten-month-old son into slavery, the unbearable reality of the short breath of time some of the families had together, made this children’s literature truly different from that of The Wide, Wide World. The description of her body when she is told about her son says that, “dizzily she sat down. Her slack hands fell lifeless by her side. Her eyes looked straight forward, but she saw nothing. All the noise and hum of the boat, the groaning of the machinery, mingled dreamily to her bewildered” (208). The small glimpse of hope and happiness of her life was stolen from her in a glance and deflated all the life she had left in her. As we have stated in class, whenever a baby is brought into a situation it makes it worse, which is very true for this case. The disconnect between this story and other didactic stories about children is the dehumanization of the people. Lucy has nothing left to live for after her baby is taken, whereas once Ellen’s mom dies she has a chance for a future.