St. Clare and Tom....The Message from Eva

After reading that Eva had past on and the symbolic messages she gave to everyone that she surrounded her life with, I feel that the two people that stood out to me were St. Clare and Tom. It's with out a doubt that Eva has left an ever-lasting love for everyone, and it seems that all she wants is for people to be equal. I felt that St. Clare and Tom were the most important people in her life.

St. Clare: Eva went to St. Clare for comfort and asked for promises, one in particular was to free Tom. I feel that Eva was trying to send positive messages to him regarding faith and love. St. Clare lacked self-worth and his faith was dead for so long, it was until he spoke his last words, which was "Mother!" that he indeed found his faith. I felt that it kind of opened another door for him and that he was reunited with Eva, and his mother. It engaged Stowe's audience (and possibly had some in tears...ME! Basically for the remainder of the book) and I think that was a message she wanted to send to her readers, and to think critically about slavery, love, honesty and being faithful to ones' self and others.

Tom: First and foremost I absolutely love Tom. He would have to be one of my favorite characters in the book. I love his devotion to religion, to Eva, and even though his life "sucks" he is still for grateful what he has been given. I feel that when Eva was alive she brought understanding and a friend; she opened up Tom's life and showed him that life is a struggle but worth it. I feel that throughout the book, Tom is portrayed as a constant symbol of God and Eva. God in the sense that his faith falters at times, but he doesn't budge or the fact that the oh so horrific man Legree beats him down day by day---Tom is constantly reminded why he's still standing and why he is strong--mentally, emotional (though he cries to me it's a comoft mechinism and is a way for him to re-build what has been broken) As well as Eva being the one to send reminders to Tom to just hang on and be true to his faith. It seems that as each chapter ends his faith deepens in a way that will be told towards the end of the book, and is a hidden secret.