Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe is a book that addresses and discusses many issues and themes, such as : race, religion, femininity, love, suffering, violence, home and masculinity. But Stowe specifically illustrates the inhumanity and evil of slavery to his mid-19th century readers, for whom slavery was a current and burning political issue. The novel not only shows the misery and suffering of the slaves themselves, but also how slavery as an institution affects everyone involved, even those who do not directly participate in slavery, such as politicians and citizens of the North. Stowe illustrates the issue of slavery through his use of symbolism and his choice of genre and tone. Uncle Tom's Cabin is full of symbolic gestures, actions, people, places, and objects that Stowe uses to address slavery. The most important symbol in the book is found in the title, Uncle Tom's cabin itself, although it does not feature very long in the novel. In chapter four we get a sense of religious piety and domestic tranquility that exists in the cabin, showing that when situations permit (when their master is kind enough or if they can be freed), slaves like Tom and Chloe can create a feeling of piety. Perfect 19th century home, loyal, hardworking and principled. After Tom leaves the Shelbys, the cabin exists as a point of contrast to the other places he lives and the other households we see, showing the range of living conditions and situations in which slaves could find themselves. The humble piety of the cabin contrasts with the lavish indulgence of the great Shelby House or St. Clare Manor. It also contrasts with the wooden cabin that Tom lives in on the Legree plantation and the cotton gin shed where Tom dies. When he has a ca...... middle of paper ......o Canada, France and Liberia. And to accompany these genres, the tone remains serious, and the narrator takes his task of educating the reader about the horrors of slavery very seriously. He frequently makes comments intended to enlighten us about the moral conclusions we should draw from these events. The issue of slavery was a hot and sensitive topic when Harriet Beecher Stowe was writing her novel. She saw and heard for herself the stories of others and their experiences and decided that change was needed. She wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin to address issues and encourage support for the abolition of slavery. She used symbolism, genre, and tone to reach readers and open their eyes to the many ways slavery affected the country. She created characters that readers would relate to and told their stories realistically in order to inspire change..