FICTION - comparative impact and criticisms

How did Uncle Tom’s Cabin break away from white perceptions of black people at the time?

• Moral and spiritual depth: characters like Uncle Tom are depicted as devout Christians who exhibit profound moral strength and resilience. Tom’s unwavering faith and forgiveness, even in the face of brutal treatment, challenged notions of black inferiority.

• Sympathetic Portrayals: Stowe’s narrative elicited empathy from readers by illustrating the emotional toll of slavery on families, such as Eliza’s desperate escape to save her child.

These portrayals played a significant role in galvanising anti-slavery sentiments among Northern readers, contributing to the abolitionist movement.

How did Uncle Tom’s Cabin still reflect white attitudes at the time

• Use of stereotypes: The novel includes characters that embody stereotypes, such as Topsy, who represents the “pickaninny” trope, and the “mammy” figure, reinforcing simplistic and derogatory images of Black individuals. 

• Paternalism and White Saviourism: the narrative often positions white characters as benevolent saviours, suggesting that Black individuals required white guidance and intervention for salvation and improvement.

What was the overall impact of Uncle Tom’s Cabin?

• Sold over a million copies within ten years in America. In Britain, it was the second most popular and read book after the Bible.

• The informal, conversational style of Stowe’s novels permitted them to reach wide audiences that more scholarly or argumentative works would not. Encouraged everyday people to address such controversial topics as slavery.

• Instrumental in challenging certain white perceptions: by humanising enslaved individuals and exposing moral atrocities of slavery. HOWEVER it also reinforced existing racial hierarchies.

What did Abraham Lincoln say to Beecher Stowe when he met her?

“So you’re the little lady who started the civil war.”

What has the term “Uncle Tom” come to signify in popular culture?

• Has become an insult, used to describe a black person who is perceived as submissive to white people, or someone who betrays their own community for approval of white society

How has Uncle Tom’s Cabin been criticised?

• More radical members of the abolitionist movement felt the portrayal of slavery and the treatment of black slaves was not strong enough to encourage Americans to support the immediate end of slavery.

• Many abolitionists disliked Harriet Beecher Stowe’s tacit support for the colonisation movement, which supported the idea of returning black slaves to Africa.

• Pro-slavery groups disliked the attack on the institution as they believed it was sanctioned by the Old Testament of the Bible. They claimed the story was one-sided and showed slave owners in a bad light. 

How has Huckleberry Finn changed white perceptions of black people at the time?

• Twain humanises Jim, a runaway enslaved man, portraying him as compassionate, intelligent and morally upright. This depiction contrasts sharply with the dehumanising stereotypes prevalent in C19th America.

• Jim’s deep emotional connections and ethical decisions, such as his concern for his family’s well-being, showcase his humanity and challenge the notion of Black inferiority.

• Jim’s strong and moral character is the most apparent when he offers the ultimate sacrifice - his freedom to save Tom’s life.

How does Huckleberry Finn reflect/reinforce white attitudes of the time?

• Jim is sometimes portrayed with traits reminiscent of minstrel show characters - superstitious, naiive, overly submissive - which can undermine his otherwise dignified portrayal.

• Narrative centres on Huck’s viewpoint, often sidelining Jim’s experiences and inner thoughts, thereby reinforcing a white-centric perspective. 

• Twain uses the Missouri black dialect for Jim’s character, reinforcing the idea that Jim is uneducated.

• The excessively used N-word to depict Jim and black characters reinforces hostile white attitudes justifying insulting behaviour toward black Americans.

What was the OVERALL impact of Huckleberry Finn?

Has become a major work of American literature. It is a standard text in many American secondary schools and it is second only to Shakespeare in the frequency with which it appears in the American classroom. 

Often hailed as a seminal work in American literature for its unflinching portrayal of race relations. Novel’s exploration of themes such as freedom, moral growth and the conflict between societal expectations and personal conscience continues to resonate with readers and scholars alike. 

How did some institutions in America react to Huckleberry Finn?

1885 - Concord Public Library in Massachusetts banned the novel, claiming it was vile trash. The St Louis Globe-Democrat newspaper stated that same year that the novel was irrelevant.

In 1957, NAACP declared that the novel contained racial slurs in the ways it depicted black characters. Since then, the book has been removed from some reading lists in American schools.

How was Huck Finn approached in schools?

A school administrator in Virginia said in the Washington Post that the reading aloud of the text was humiliating and insulting to black students and contributed to feelings of low self-esteem in the black community and to white students’ disrespect of black people. 

Black American writer Margo Allen, in an article called ‘Huck Finn: Two Generations of Pain’ described her negative experiences with the book at school.

How were black people portrayed in Gone With The Wind?

Slaves appear well treated and generally cheerful with their position, loyal to their white master. When they work hard, they are rewarded with gifts from their owner.

Mammy —> loyal, stern, deeply invested in the family’s well-being, particularly Scarlett’s. Mammy serves as a moral compass. Embodies the “mammy” stereotype: a desexualised, nurturing Black woman devoted to her white family. Her face is compared to that of a monkey.

PRISSY - a young enslaved girl who is portrayed as immature, lazy and deceitful.

What ideology did GWTW’s depiction of the South align with?

The “Lost Cause” ideology, which reframes the Confederacy’s motives and downplays the central role of slavery. These narratives have influenced public memory and education regarding the Civil War.

• GWTW is the cinematic embodiment of the Lost Cause fantasy, with the Confederates represented as gallant defenders of the homeland rather than the campaigners of a system built on human suffering

GWTW also heavily romanticises…?

GWTW heavily romanticises vigilante violence (was literally the KKK in action), men on a “mission” to defend a Southern woman’s honour.

E.G. When Scarlett gets sexually assaulted in a Black part of town, by a black man (in the movie the attacker changed to white) her second husband Rhett and Southern men ride off to get ‘justice’, most likely assaulted or even killed the man. Later Rhett lies to Scarlett and other women at her house, saying they were at a brothel.

How was GWTW criticised?

Romanticised KKK as saviours of white Southern women and American values. 

Reflects traditional Southern white fears of the sexually aggressive black male lusting after white women. Reinforced and reflected attitudes toward black people held by many Americans.

How were black people portrayed in To Kill A Mockingbird?

• Main black character, Tom Robinson, is portrayed as harmless, innocent and hardworking

• Tom refuses to repeat the foul language directed at him by his white accuser. His dignity in the face of racial provocation and abuse stands out as one of his main strengths and makes him a sympathetic, pleasant and intelligent character.

• Generally, the black characters in the novel are portrayed as better, more dignified characters than the white Americans. E.G. the white accuser Ewell appears as “white trash”, ignorant and full of racial prejudice.

What was the OVERALL impact of TKAM?

• WIDELY acclaimed for its moral messages and has been taught in schools for decades.

• Atticus became a symbol of moral integrity. Opened conversations about systemic racism for generations.

• Novel became symbolic of ‘doing the right thing in a broken system’

• JUDGEMENT: Has the widest cultural and educational reach in comparison to Beloved and The Help.

What are some criticisms of TKAM?

Tom, as the primary black characters in, has no real agency and is rendered voiceless.

The novel was also seen as another “white saviour” narrative, cantering white characters as heroes of racial justice.

How were black people portrayed in Toni Morrison’s Beloved?

Slavery is shown as brutal, inhuman and violent. Black slaves are treated as merchandise, everything has its price, and the price is tyranny.

Depicts slaves as living in constant fear of being caught and returned to their former masters.

What was the cultural impact of Beloved?

• Won the Pulitzer Prize. Cemented Morrison as one of the most important American authors.

• Forced readers to confront the emotional aftermath of slavery through they eyes of those who lived it.

• Centred black womanhood, motherhood and survival without catering to white gaze or white comfort.

• JUDGEMENT: Has the deepest cultural and emotional weight, especially within the Black community and academic spaces.

What are some criticisms of Beloved?

Some found the novel’s style dense and emotionally overwhelming.

Conservatives critics argued it was too graphic or disturbing (they were not ready for the truth).

What backlash against Beloved occurred in Virginia in 2013?

A mother launched the “Beloved Bill” to let parents opt their children out of books with “explicit content”. Texas, Florida and other states have banned this book due to racial, sexual and violent themes.

How are black people portrayed in The Help?

Black characters like Abilene and Minny are likeable, strong and resilient. However they are often filtered through a white gaze (their stories are told through Skeeter, a white character)

What was the IMPACT of Beloved?

• A bestseller, adapted into an Oscar-winning film.

• Opened up race conversations for mainstream audiences, especially white readers.

• Introduced many white readers to basic racial injustices - especially those who had never encountered Beloved or TKAM.

• RARELY banned, as it is considered quite a surface level and emotional portrayal of race relations.

The Help is considered a ______ book. Why?

Considered a gateway book - great for introductory conversations to race relations as it is accessible but leans into comfort more than confrontation

What criticisms did The Help receive?

• Called out for being another “white saviour” narrative

• Oversimplifies racism and centres white characters.

• A real-life maid (Abilene Cooper) sued Morrison for using her likeness without permission. Case was dismissed, but the ethics were debated.

• REAL domestic workers during that time would not have had the freedom to speak up or meet in secret so easily - far too dangerous

• GLOSSES OVER brutality of segregation in favour of emotional healing and narrative closure

Critic say The Help relies on what degrading black trope?

Mammy trope - the nurturing, long-suffering and desexualised black woman whose sole purpose is to help white folk flourish