An Analysis of Uncle Tom’s Tragedy from the Perspective of Ethical Literary Criticism 从文学伦理学角度分析汤姆叔叔的悲剧命运.doc

an analysis of uncle toms tragedy from the perspective of ethical literary criticismabstract: uncle toms cabin is a realistic work which is written by the famous american novelist harriet beecher stowe. it is the masterpiece of the abolitionist literature, famous poet henry wadsworth longfellow regards the book as “one of the greatest triumphs recorded in literary history”. extensive researches have come out by many critics at home and abroad since the novel was published, in which most researchers analyzed uncle toms tragic fate from his character or social reasons. for example, zhang xiujian who wrote an analysis of uncle toms tragedy from historical reason thought that the cruel slavery led uncle toms life to tragedy. zheng qin wrote an analysis of the character tom in the novel uncle toms cabin and thought tom was too submissive which led himself to a tragic life. due to the profound elements in ethics and morality in this novel, the thesis analyzes uncle toms tragedy from the perspective of ethical literary criticism, which was put forward by professor nie zhenzhao in 2004. ethical literary criticism is an approach to analyze literature on the basis of introduction of ethical methods as well as the assimilation of them. this paper aims to analyze the causes of uncle toms tragic life through two layers of relationship, namely human-other relationship and human-society relationship. through the analysis, the thesis proves that it is the indifference of interpersonal relationship and the unharmonious ethical dilemma of the relationship between people and society that actually lead toms life to tragedy. through analyzing uncle toms tragic fate by the theory of ethical literary criticism, the thesis aims to provide a new perspective to analyze this novel. key words: uncle toms cabin; harriet beecher stowe; ethical literary criticism; ethical dilemma; tragedyan analysis of uncle toms tragedy from the perspective of ethical literary criticism从文学伦理学角度分析汤姆叔叔的悲剧命运摘要：汤姆叔叔的小屋是美国著名小说家斯托夫人发表的一部现实主义作品，是废奴文学的代表作，著名诗人亨利华兹华斯朗费罗称该书是“文学史上最伟大的胜利”。此小说先后引起了国内外很多评论家的广泛研究，多数研究者从汤姆叔叔性格或社会原因分析他的悲剧命运。 张秀见从历史原因出发分析奴隶制导致汤姆叔叔悲剧的起因，郑瑾通过人物分析认为汤姆叔叔的逆来顺受性格造成了他的悲剧。鉴于汤姆叔叔的小屋中涉及到了伦理道德因素，本文采用2004年我国著名学者聂珍钊教授提出的文学伦理学理论对汤姆叔叔的悲剧命运进行分析。文学伦理学是在借鉴、吸收伦理学方法基础上融合文学研究方法而形成的一种用于研究文学的批评方法。笔者分别从人与他人、人与社会两个关系层面来分析造成汤姆叔叔悲剧的原因。通过分析笔者认为正是人与人之间人际关系的冷漠、人与社会之间不和谐的伦理困境使得汤姆的人生最终走向悲剧。本文旨在通过运用文学伦理学理论分析主人公的悲剧命运，对解读该小说提供一种新的视角。关键词：汤姆叔叔的小屋；斯托夫人；文学伦理学理论；伦理困境；悲剧contents number of pages: 15 1 introduction12 the theory of ethical literary criticism22.1 the conception of ethical literary criticism22.2 the manners of ethical literary criticism33 the ethical dilemma of interpersonal relationship43.1 the relationship between slave owners and slaves43.2 the interpersonal relationship in black community64 the ethical relationship between people and society84.1 the limitation of slavery to uncle toms freedom84.2 the oppression of plantation economy on uncle tom105 conclusion11notes12references13acknowledgements14declaration15an analysis of uncle toms tragedy from the perspective of ethical literary criticism1 introductionharriet beecher stowe, as one of the well-known american novelists, she is also an american abolitionist. when she moves to cincinnati with her father to be a teacher and starts to write, she is very sympathetic to the bitter experience of black slaves and abhor to the slavery system. so in 1850s when anti-slavery movement reached upsurge, harriet beecher stowe began to write and published uncle toms cabin on one periodical of abolitionism serially. through shaping the hero tom and other slaves, this work denounces the guilt of southern slavery which sharpens the conflict between the southern and the northern america. even president lincoln once met mrs. stowe and named her “so you are the little woman who wrote the book that started this great war”.1when this novel emerged, it attracted great attention and reception at home and aboard. many critics researched the book from different angles. for example eric j. sundquist, the author of new essays on uncle toms cabin, thought only women could owned the moral authority to save people from cruel slavery. cui wa who wrote the interpretation of family ethics on uncle toms cabin interpreted family ethics from the perspective of ethical literary criticism. famous poet henry wadsworth longfellow regarded the book as “one of the greatest triumphs recorded in literary history”.2 in his journal, he wrote: “how she is shaking the world with her uncle toms cabin!” “uncle toms cabin is the most powerful and most enduring work of art ever written about american slavery,” said alfred kazin.3 frederick douglass praised the novel as “a flash to light a million camp fires in front of the embattled hosts of slavery.”4 van wyck brooks believed that, removed from the atmosphere in which it was written, uncle toms cabin remained a great folk picture of an age and a nation .usually, people are more likely to interpret uncle toms tragedy from his personality of submission and loyalty or historical reason.for example, zhang xiujian who wrote an analysis of uncle toms tragedy from historical reason thought that the cruel slavery led uncle toms life to tragedy. zheng qin wrote an analysis of the character tom in the novel uncle toms cabin and thought tom was too submissive which led himself to a tragic life. however, we have a new method of criticizingethical literary criticism. the theory provides us with a new angle of view to interpret the story. this paper is going to analyze uncle toms tragedy by using this theory. 2 the theory of ethical literary criticismthe ethical literary criticism is a new method of literary criticism. it is mainly applied to interpret and analyze literary works as well as study the writers and the questions concerning literature.2.1 the conception of ethical literary criticismthe ethical literary criticism is a new method of literary criticism. it is put forward by nie zhenzhao, a professor of central china normal university, who had made meticulous investigation and research into the history and current situation of literary criticism theory and method in china and abroad. ethical literary criticism explains and comments the different life with its moral features from ethical perspective. at the mean time, it gives an ethical evaluation by using terms such as ethics incest, ethical taboo, ethical chaos, ethical consciousness, ethical situation, ethical identity, ethical choice, etc.5 ethical literary criticism does not simply judge the moral value of historical literature from the perspective of moral stance. instead it emphasizes the return of historical ethical scene, which means we should interpret the literary works on the basis of moral stance of that time, dig out the objective ethical reasons of the literature and analyze the ethical factors that lead to the social events and affect the characters fate. ethical literary criticism explains the events, characters and other literary questions from the perspective of ethics and make moral judgment from a historical standpoint. actually, ethical literary criticism is aimed to not only illustrate the ethical and moral characteristics of literature but also research the relationship between literature and society, writers and the readers from the point of ethics and morality. 2.2 the manners of ethical literary criticismwith the development of society, literature becomes an important part in human history. therefore, literature can not surpass or deny history. it teaches us to find and analyze ethical line and ethical complex when we use ethical literary criticism to read works. ethical line and ethical complex are the basic elements of literary ethical structure. ethical literary criticism attempts to interpret the moral phenomena recorded in literature on a historical and dialectical basis, and explore the relationship between an individual and society, an individual and others, an individual and nature, and an individual and self so as to comprehend literary works better.6 on the relationship between an individual and society, ethical literary criticism puts truth-seeking as a starting point, historically inherits the ethical status of the community; on the relationship between an individual and nature, the theory yearns for beauty and publicizes natural harmony of ethics; on the relationships between man and others, the theory seeks to show the ethical significance and the complexity of human relationship; on the relationship between man and self, the theory puts holy as the starting point, conveys the moral desire of an ordinary man turning to a saint.if we explain the tragedy of uncle tom by ethical literary criticism, we can find that in that society where slavery was rampant, the interpersonal relationship in black community was indifferent and no goodness existed between slaves and slave owners, his tragedy was inevitable. 3 the ethical dilemma of interpersonal relationship the relationship between an individual and others is an important part of the ethical literary criticism. by analyzing this relationship, the author can illustrate the complicated human relationship and ethical significance. this paper analyses the root of the tragic fate of uncle tom from the ethical relationship between uncle tom and slave owners, between tom and other slaves.3.1 the relationship between slave owners and slavesaccording to ethical literary criticism, goodness plays an important role in the relationship between an individual and others. it is the precondition of the mutual understanding in practical activities. uncle tom, as a black slave, his relationship with his masters becomes complicated. due to the limitation of the history and education at that time, tom thinks slaves should obey their masters orders without hesitation. however, uncle tom is unfortunate that his masters are unkind to him and even torture him to die. tom makes a mistake that he does not realize he and those slaveholders own equal personality. hence he should not blindly comply with all orders. unluckily he not only never resists, but also becomes “blindly loyal” to his masters. in this way, he chooses his own fate and foreshadows his tragic fate.mr.shelby, toms first slave owner considers tom as a reliable slave. when mr.shelbys business is on the verge of bankruptcy, what he does first is to sell the most pious personuncle tom. shelby sells tom for his own interests and betrays toms loyalty to him over the years. once tom is bought by other brutal slave owners, his fate becomes sad. another wicked slave owner legree is the typical representative of slaveholders in the southern america. his torture to slaves is very horrible, even the devils are afraid of him. slaves live a dogs life on his farm. they labor heavily under the supervision of whips everyday. he often beats slaves so that his fist becomes a blacksmiths hammer. he even tells slaves triumphantly that his fist has got as hard as iron knocking down slaves. to prevent slaves from escaping, he also feeds a group of ferocious dogs. he produces and spreads hatred to control those weak slaves. he uses an approach of divide-and-conquer that lets tom to manage and punish slaves. when tom refuses his ideas, legree frantically tortures tom. as another slave cassy says: “you have aroused his hatred upon you to follow you every day, like a vicious dog bitting your necksucking your blood drop by drop.”7 tom is beaten black and blue by legree, even kneels down and accepts all sorts of abuse. at last, legree thunders, he will count every drop of blood there is in tom, and take them one by one, till tom gives up.8 legree suspects tom to help two female slaves escape. he whips tom with skin cutting open and flesh tearing.the ethic of single-minded kindness roots blind loyalty to masters in uncle toms mind. he is blindly submissive and at the mercy of fate, even resold three times and tortured by slave owners. his compromise foreshadows his tragic fate. he is an ideal slave and he thinks the owner has the right absolutely to dominate in his philosophy. those slaves should closely obey the interests of the owner, labor systematically and absolutely obey the master. once mr. shelby lets uncle tom go to cincinnati alone to do business and bring home five hundred dollars. tom has the opportunity to carry the money, running to another place without restriction. however, he says: “master trusted me, and i could not.”9 he never lives up to the masters trust on him and never does anything breaking his promise as he has been convinced that the slaves must have allegiance to his master and follow the masters arrangements.the slaveholder mr.shelby is going to sell uncle tom who is a loyal, hard-working and brave slave. when uncle tom hears the news, he leans over the back of the chair, and covers his face with his large hands. owing to the owners trust towards him and a pass he holds, tom has the chance to escape. however when slave eliza asks him to escape with her, uncle tom chooses to stay and whimpers: “masr always found me on the spot he always will, i never have broke trust nor use my pass no ways contrary to my word and i never will. its better for me alone to go, than to break up the place and sell all.”10 at this time, there is a path to the freedom. he can obviously choose to escape from the slavery autocratic society to pursue freedom. but he does not do it, on the contrary, he faithfully combines his current situation with the plight of his master. he sacrifices his own happiness, and helps the masters to have a life of luxury. he thinks that escaping is not a good solution and will never have good results.even though he is insulted and humiliated by st. clair time after time, tom still submits to humiliation, concerning about his masters worries. he never wants to fight for freedom as he thinks that staying with the host is the obligation of slaves. even though he is convinced that he is sold to a slave trader by master mr.shelby, tom still refuses to flee as he does not want to make trouble for his master by escaping. even subjected to cruel beating from the last master legree, tom still adheres to his belief of returning good for evil though he can not stand any more, he said:masr, if you was sick, or in trouble, or dying, and i could save ye, id give ye my hearts blood; and, if taking every drop of blood in this poor old body would save your precious soul, id give em freely, as the lord gave his for me. o, masr! dont bring this great sin on your soul! it will hurt you more than t will me! do the worst you can, my troublesll be over soon; but, if ye dont repent, yours wont never end!113.2 the interpersonal relationship in black communityin the society where slavery system is outrageous, mutual assistance between the blacks is needed. uncle tom is doing so. however in the community where uncle tom lives, black slaves are unable to fend for themselves in the slavery society, so they become indifferent and bully each other because of human selfishness. uncle tom sympathizes with others while no one gives him a hand as he does to others when he is in difficult time. to a degree, indifference between human beings aggravates toms tragedy.tom, who is a good-natured and friendly person would rather bear the misfortune of being sold separately in order to make other slaves continue to stay. he supports eliza when he knows her plan to escape, and pretends to know nothing about her whereabout. later when tom is sold to the master legrees hellish plantation, out of kindness, he puts his own cotton into a sick female slaves basket to help her complete the quota of picking cotton. despite knowing what he does will probably get himself into trouble, he is still so kind that he risks his life for the sake of the frail slave. finally he is beaten when the behavior is found. when the devil master legree asks tom to whip a female slave for him, tom refuses to do that. he says that legree can kill him at will, but as to raising his hand agin any slaves there, he would rather die first. the man who holds respectful attitude towards his owners in daily life, finally expresses a firm revolt which truly provokes himself a fatal disaster. at the end of this novel, legree feeling amazing, anxious and angry, he whips tom to be bruised.two female slaves on the legrees plantation decide to flee in order to survive. they plan to hide and request tom to assist. when tom knows their plan, he is very supportive, but he does not run away though he has the chance to have a new life like them. his kind behavior brings back endless torment from legree. he helps female slaves cassy and emily escape in spite of his own plight. he even refuses to tell legree their whereabouts out of friendship, which eventually results in his being beaten to death. under the oppression of slavery, interpersonal relationship becomes indifferent. slaves are unable to help themselves and even the others. when uncle tom is going public auctioned, other blacks should feel sorry for him. if someone can stand up and plead for him, perhaps he can be able to stay. however another slave black sam feels pleased as he can probably become the right-hand man of the owner when tom lefts. he says to himself: “now, dar, toms down, course ders room for some niggers to be up and why not dis nigger?”12when tom is in a slave warehouse, he is sad to be sold at the auction. how anxious he wants someone to comfort him. however another slave sambo laughs at him: “sold at auction, boys, ant this yer fun? i wisht i was gwine that ar way!”13 what is worse, sambo slanders tom which brings tom