Uncle Tom’s Cabin book club questions

The reading plan

Meeting 1: Chapters 1 to 14

1. How would you judge Eliza's decision to flee and Tom's decision to stay when both face family separation?
2. What does taking George away from skilled work suggest about why his enslaver wants control?
3. How do you judge Sam and Andy's use of confusion to delay Eliza's capture?
4. When the senator chooses mercy over law, what should matter most in judging his choice?
5. What does the contrast between lawful sales and family grief suggest about the limits of law?

Meeting 2: Chapters 15 to 26

6. What might Eva's treatment of enslaved people as companions challenge that arguments about duties cannot?
7. How do you judge the fugitives' decision to rescue a wounded man who tried to capture them?
8. What risks and responsibilities might Tom weigh when challenging his master's drinking?
9. What should teaching ask of Miss Ophelia when Topsy's habits have been shaped by cruelty?
10. Is earning money for Tom's freedom a hopeful response, an unfair burden, or both?

Meeting 3: Chapters 27 to 45

11. What does the contrast between legal protection and broken promises suggest about how freedom must be secured?
12. How does Tom's refusal to whip a sick woman change what resistance can mean?
13. How might Tom's faith and Cassy's despair offer different responses to suffering without making either response simple?
14. What does hiding inside their owner's house suggest about Cassy's understanding of power and fear?
15. How do Tom's refusal to betray others and his forgiveness complicate the difference between gentleness and resistance?

Themes to talk about

Tips for the host

1. Open each meeting with one question everyone can answer, then go deeper.
2. Anyone who fell behind can catch up with the 15-minute summary.