Thursday, February 13, 2014

Write a short note: Eva : Uncle Tom’s Cabin’ by Harriet Beacher Stow

Evangeline St Clare is a lovely and a tender child in Mrs. Harriet Beacher Staw’s ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’. She is a quite sweet, generous that everyone who sees her loves her a lot. When Tom sees her first time on the boat, she is always dressed in white and runs about the boat like a little sunbeam. Tom watches her for several days and then begins to meet friends with her. Now discuss this lovely and loveable character.


          Tom saves Eva when she fell into river. At that time she and her father both are impressed by Tom. Eva wants to make Tom happy so she asks her father to buy Tom and consequently St. Clare buys him. Though Tom is a slave, Eva likes him and behaves a friend.
          Whenever she finds time, she plays with him. One day Tom wants to write a letter to his family but he is unable to write properly. At that time Eva shows her eagerness to help him in that work as she likes Tom a lot. When Eva is ill, it is Tom who takes enough care of her.

          Eva’s father St. Augustine Clare is a rich gentleman living in New Orleans. Eva’s mother Marie is rich and beautiful lady having only one child Eva. Eva gets proper care and love from her father, but her mother is very selfish and jealous woman who is jealous of St Clare’s love for her own daughter. Most of the time she is ill and specially pretending to be ill. She always complains one thing or another. When Eva wants to love her mother, she is rejected by saying that she makes her head ache. Eva is not getting enough love from her mother but her father fulfills that desire.

          Her illness: One Sunday evening Eva suddenly points her finger toward sunset and tells Tom that it is the gateway of heaven and she is going soon over there. Tom has noticed some things in Eva that she is unable to run fast, she can’t play so long, St. Clare is unable to believe that his daughter’s health is falling. Even when she is not well, her religious feelings are very strong. Young heart is filled with lofty ideas. She says to Tom,
I understand why Jesus
wanted to die for others,
because I have felt so too.”

          Though Eva is a child, she is  very generous and mature having deep sympathy for the slaves and she wished to make all the slaves free but she can’t do that. On the time of dying, she feels the same as Jesus did, some 1800 years ago to live and die for other. She expresses it to Tom in such a way,
I’d be glad to die to stop
all this misery. Tom, If I
could.”
          Before dying, Little Eva takes promise from her father to make all slaves free because She wishes that there should not be slavery.

          Time before Death. As days pass, Eva’s strength fast passes away. She is always in bed watching the lake or flowers and her Bible open in her hand. One day Eva asks Miss Ophelia to cut her hair, the beautiful fair curls that her father loved. Then she calls all the people of her household to her room. Eva leans against her pillow and speaks to them. She tells them,
“I sent for you all, my dear
friends, because I love you
all. But I am going away.
I’m going to the beautiful
world where Jesus is and if
you are Christians Jesus will
help you.”
          Every person is move by her feeling for him and pray for her life. Heavy-hearted, all of them leave her room one by one except Tom who was aware of the uncertainly of her death.


          At last, one night Jesus, himself on earth to take his little faithful child with him. Eva’s family members call doctors and all try hard to save but they fail. But Eva is not at all worried or unhappy as she is about to die because she feels she is not dying but going form this world to another world. She pays last farewell to Tom who prays that her soul may rest in peace.
          Tom is inwardly very much moved, but outwardly he consoles Eva’s parents to have patience and faith in God, Eva She utters the words ‘oh! Love, joy, peace’ and passes from death to eternal life.

          To summing up, the most loving character of the novel ends in a tragic but happy end. She sets an example of humanity, patience, faith etc. to so many grown up people who are unable to treat slaves as human beings. Her maturity, her faith in God and relation with Tom make her memorable. Indeed she is a unforgettable and superb character

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