Future Uncertainty

Although it talks about slavery and it isn’t the first book I read in the topic, Uncle Tom's Cabin is a book unlike any other I have ever read. Although it focuses on slavery, I can't help but notice connections to several novels we have read throughout the year. I have already discussed some of these similarities in my previous blog but as I read the last section I couldn’t help but draw a comparison between this book and another work, Hamlet. Although it is presented in very different ways, both of these books address the topics of action and inaction, and the consequences these may have in people's lives.

Hamlet's entire story revolves around the fact of whether or not he chooses to take action and live up to his family name, or continue t9o be a coward and live in shame. A clear example of this is when Hamlet exclaims, "Thus conscience does make cowards of us all." (Act 3, Sc 1, Ln 4) This quote not only reflects Hamlet's fear of carrying out his actions, it is the perfect portrayal of human being's fear of action due to the consequences we may later face. However, this is not the only fear we experience since our inaction itself may bring even more dire consequences than the actions themselves would have. We are often caught in this awkward limbo between what we want to do and what we actually end up doing, often without stopping to measure the implications this may have on our lives.

Tom's story, although quite different, does have one similar element, and that presents itself at the moment of Mr. St. Clare's death, when Toms starts to wonder what will happen to his dreams of becoming a free man. Tom begins to wonder about "the hope of liberty, the thought of distant wife and children, rose up before his patient soul…seen over the top of some black wave only for one last farewell." (pg. 367) Tom was caught in the same situation as Hamlet after Eva's death, when St. Clare told him he could go back to his family, yet Tom decided to stay with him until they both got over their terrible loss. This decision, although made unaware of its repercussions, left Tom worse off than when he started, for he not only lost Eva, and St. Clare, waiting caused him to lose his family and his freedom as well. This brings up the question of whether it is better to do as our heart tells us to, or if following the path of the mind is what should be done. The future is unpredictable and no one can know what things will come their way, and this makes each and every one of our actions vital, yet meaningless at the same time because regardless of what you do, you don’t know if you made the right decision.

Indecision is something that will be present in our lives whether we are young or old, smart or inexperienced. The unpredictability of the future is what keeps life interesting and if we always knew what we were going to do in every situation, what would be the point of living?