Complications of Slavery in Uncle Tom's Cabin

Chapter ten in "Uncle Tom's Cabin" really struck me as far as how enslaved children behaved and what their parents expected of them compared to free white children. There are similarities and differences in the way George is taught as a slave and the way Ellen is brought up in a slave-free environment. These comparisons both correlate and confuse the didactic theories of children's literature. 

After learning of Uncle Tom's arrest, George throws a fit and is greatly upset, "sobbing and groaning vehemently" (UTC page 170) while Ellen in "The Wide, Wide World" is asked to stop acting as a child and immediately "[says] little, and did not weep any more" (WWW page 25). It seems that emotion and exploring those feelings was acceptable to the salves, where as Middle or Upper class white children were taught to suppress those feelings and be mature. 

George is then told by Uncle Tom to "keep close to [his] mother" and try to stay out of trouble and "hold on to her, and grow up, and be a comfort to her" (UTC 173). As George is lectured to take care of his mother, little Ellen makes it a priority in her life to take care of her ill mother, because her "love to[wards] her mother was the strongest feelings her heart knew" (page 25). She made it her business to prepare the tea and toast, comforting her mother in any way she could. Both children in this scenario are taught to love their mothers and always be there for them, tending to their needs. 

The last difference I found in Chapter ten of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" compared to "The Wide, Wide World" is each set of parents' idea of being a good person in society. Uncle Tom tells George he has everything in the world to be a positive influence in the world and make his parents proud: "l'arnin', privileges, readin', writin" (UTC page 173). Ellen's mother wants Ellen to "always [be] neat, and tidy, and industrious; depending upon others as little as possible" (WWW page 44). Both parents give them the tools to be an ideal good person, yet they view these ideas in a different light. Mrs. Montgomery wants Ellen to be moral and productive, while Uncle Tom wants George to be able to read and write. 

The slight disconnect between these stories is largely due to ethnicity and economical background. Although each child is brought up in a different way, all that each parent wants is to be proud of their children in their own perception. Each parent wants to feel as though they raised their child to be as great as they could be.