# Uncle Tom — Uncle Tom’s Cabin character guide > Uncle Tom in Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Tom, Thomas Flint, poor Tom, Father Tom **First appearance:** 0000-volume-i-i-in-which-the-reader-is-introduced-to-a-man-of-humanity ## Snapshot A gentle, deeply Christian enslaved man whose unshakable faith and honesty make him both a moral beacon and a commodity to be sold. ## Who they are Tom is a trusted hand on the Shelby farm in Kentucky, valued for his piety and the quiet authority he holds among the other enslaved people. When financial ruin forces his sale, his refusal to let bitterness take root—even as he is torn from his wife and children—becomes the novel's central test of whether goodness can survive an institution built to crush it. His story anchors the book's argument that the system's greatest crime is what it does to the souls of the enslaved and the enslavers alike. ## Relationships ### [Eva St. Clare](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_tom_s_cabin_se/characters/eva_st_clare) _friendship_ Eva and Tom share a deep, Christ-like bond of mutual love and spiritual kinship, with Eva seeing Tom as a noble soul. ### [George Harris](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_tom_s_cabin_se/characters/george_harris) _friendship_ George Harris and Tom are fellow enslaved men who respect each other, though their paths diverge in resistance versus submission. ### [Simon Legree](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_tom_s_cabin_se/characters/simon_legree) _rivalry_ Legree is Tom's brutal, sadistic master who seeks to break Tom's faith and will through violence and intimidation. ### [Jesus Christ](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_tom_s_cabin_se/characters/jesus_christ) _psychological_ Tom maintains a constant, prayerful, and visionary relationship with Jesus Christ, who serves as his source of strength and moral compass. ### [Haley](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_tom_s_cabin_se/characters/haley) _professional_ Haley is the slave trader who first purchases Tom, treating him as a commodity to be bought and sold for profit. ### [Marie St. Clare](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_tom_s_cabin_se/characters/marie_st_clare) _professional_ Marie is Tom's self-centered and neglectful mistress after Augustine's death, viewing Tom as a mere servant to be managed. ### [Cassy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_tom_s_cabin_se/characters/cassy) _friendship_ Cassy and Tom form a bond of mutual respect and shared suffering on Legree's plantation, though their strategies for survival differ. ### [Aunt Chloe](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_tom_s_cabin_se/characters/aunt_chloe) _family_ Aunt Chloe is Tom's devoted wife, heartbroken by his sale and determined to save money to buy his freedom. ### [Jesus Christ](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_tom_s_cabin_se/characters/jesus_christ) _psychological_ Tom maintains a constant, prayerful, and visionary relationship with Jesus Christ, who serves as his source of strength and moral compass. ### [Eva St. Clare](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_tom_s_cabin_se/characters/eva_st_clare) _friendship_ Eva and Tom share a deep, Christ-like bond of mutual love and spiritual kinship, with Eva seeing Tom as a noble soul. ### [George Harris](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_tom_s_cabin_se/characters/george_harris) _friendship_ George Harris and Tom are fellow enslaved men who respect each other, though their paths diverge in resistance versus submission. ### [George Harris](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_tom_s_cabin_se/characters/george_harris) _friendship_ George Harris and Tom are fellow enslaved men who respect each other, though their paths diverge in resistance versus submission. ## In the story ### [An Evening in Uncle Tom's Cabin](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_tom_s_cabin_se/chapters/volume-i-iv-an-evening-in-uncle-tom-s-cabin) Seated at the table, diligently practicing his letters under the instruction of young Master George, embodying dignity and humility. ### [Showing the Feelings of Living Property on Changing Owners](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_tom_s_cabin_se/chapters/volume-i-v-showing-the-feelings-of-living-property-on-changing-owners) Mentioned as the faithful servant sold to Haley; Mrs. Shelby plans to visit him in his distress. ### [X: The Property Is Carried Off](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_tom_s_cabin_se/chapters/volume-i-x-the-property-is-carried-off) Tom is being sold away from his family; he comforts Chloe and says goodbye to his children and young Master George. ### [XII: Select Incident of Lawful Trade](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_tom_s_cabin_se/chapters/volume-i-xii-select-incident-of-lawful-trade) Tom meditates on scripture, is jailed, and witnesses Lucy's separation from her child, trying to offer spiritual comfort. ### [XIV: Evangeline](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_tom_s_cabin_se/chapters/volume-i-xiv-evangeline) Tom is on the steamboat, reading his Bible and reflecting on his lost family. He rescues Eva from drowning. ### [Tom's Mistress and Her Opinions](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_tom_s_cabin_se/chapters/volume-i-xvi-tom-s-mistress-and-her-opinions) Tom is well-dressed and serves as Eva's attendant, enjoying the beauty of the St. Clare estate and singing hymns about the New Jerusalem. ### [Miss Ophelia’s Experiences and Opinions](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_tom_s_cabin_se/chapters/volume-i-xviii-miss-ophelia-s-experiences-and-opinions) Tom is entrusted with household marketing and finances, demonstrating his honesty and Christian faith; he confronts St. Clare about his drinking. ### [Miss Ophelia's Experiences and Opinions Continued](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_tom_s_cabin_se/chapters/volume-ii-xix-miss-ophelia-s-experiences-and-opinions-continued) Writes a letter about his possible redemption, as arranged by Eva; is ordered by St. Clare to prepare horses for a ride. ### [XXII: “The Grass Withereth—The Flower Fadeth”](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_tom_s_cabin_se/chapters/volume-ii-xxii-the-grass-withereth-the-flower-fadeth) Tom has lived two years with the St. Clares, finding contentment through faith and letters from home. His bond with Eva deepens as he cares for her and shares spiritual reflections. ### [Henrique](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_tom_s_cabin_se/chapters/volume-ii-xxiii-henrique) Attempts to explain Dodo's innocence but is silenced by Henrique. ### [XXIV: Foreshadowings](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_tom_s_cabin_se/chapters/volume-ii-xxiv-foreshadowings) Eva mentions Tom's love for his children and asks her father to grant Tom his freedom after her death. ### [XXVI: Death](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_tom_s_cabin_se/chapters/volume-ii-xxvi-death) Eva's faithful friend who carries her and sings hymns to comfort her. ### [XXVII: “This Is the Last of Earth”](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_tom_s_cabin_se/chapters/volume-ii-xxvii-this-is-the-last-of-earth) Devotedly tries to comfort St. Clare, sharing his own faith and praying for his master. ### [Reunion](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_tom_s_cabin_se/chapters/volume-ii-xxviii-reunion) Tom joyfully anticipates freedom and dreams of buying his family's liberty, but is devastated by St. Clare's sudden death. ### [The Unprotected](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_tom_s_cabin_se/chapters/volume-ii-xxix-the-unprotected) Grieves his master's death and hopes for the freedom St. Clare promised, but is ultimately sent to auction. ### [XXX: The Slave Warehouse](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_tom_s_cabin_se/chapters/volume-ii-xxx-the-slave-warehouse) Tom is brought to the slave warehouse, deeply sorrowful and refusing to join in the forced merriment. He is sold to Simon Legree at the auction. ### [XXXI: The Middle Passage](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_tom_s_cabin_se/chapters/volume-ii-xxxi-the-middle-passage) Tom is chained and transported on a boat, stripped of his fine clothes and belongings by Legree, but holds onto his Bible and faith. ### [Dark Places](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_tom_s_cabin_se/chapters/volume-ii-xxxii-dark-places) Tom is transported to Legree's plantation, forced to sing, and assigned to a squalid cabin. He dreams of Eva for comfort. ### [The Quadroon's Story](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_tom_s_cabin_se/chapters/volume-ii-xxxiv-the-quadroon-s-story) Tom is beaten and left to suffer in the gin-house, but he prays for strength and refuses to give up his faith. ### [XXXV: The Tokens](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_tom_s_cabin_se/chapters/volume-ii-xxxv-the-tokens) Though not directly present in the scene, Tom's token (the lock of hair) and his suffering are central to the chapter's events. ### [Emmeline and Cassy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_tom_s_cabin_se/chapters/volume-ii-xxxvi-emmeline-and-cassy) Tom refuses to submit to Legree, declaring his faith in God and his willingness to die rather than give up his soul. He is saved from immediate harm by Cassy's intervention. ### [XXXVIII: The Victory](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_tom_s_cabin_se/chapters/volume-ii-xxxviii-the-victory) Tom undergoes a spiritual transformation, finding peace and faith despite Legree's abuse, and refuses to participate in violence. ### [The Martyr](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_tom_s_cabin_se/chapters/volume-ii-xl-the-martyr) Beaten to death by Legree for refusing to betray Cassy and Emmeline; remains faithful and forgiving until the end. ### [The Young Master](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_tom_s_cabin_se/chapters/volume-ii-xli-the-young-master) Found dying after a severe beating by Legree; he dies peacefully, forgiving Legree and expressing faith in Christ. ### [The Liberator](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_tom_s_cabin_se/chapters/volume-ii-xliv-the-liberator) Though deceased, his death scene and final messages are recounted by George, and his grave inspires the emancipation. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_tom_s_cabin_se/characters/uncle_tom - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_tom_s_cabin_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_tom_s_cabin_se/characters