Stowe- Uncle Tom's Cabin

There's a lot to say about the role of children and the theme of childhood in the literature we read. In most emotional/tragic works such as Uncle Tom's Cabin, as soon as we sense the presence of any children our hearts automatically drop due to fear of that certain child becoming part of the tragedy. Sometimes, we even take it upon ourselves to feel sorry for the child even when the child doesn't feel sorry for his/her self. This is exactly how a text about slavery complicates our sense of emotion towards children. We want to view them as innocent but it makes us feel even worse when an innocent child is put in the middle of a horrific time period.

For example, when we read that Eliza would be separated from her child, we all felt sorry for Eliza and even worse for the child. It's tough to imagine a child being cast off on his own into a world of slavery he doesn't understand.