•Stowe says the story is “true” in the sense that many incidents and characters are drawn from real life. What difference does it make to you if a novel is based on real events? Does that change how responsible a reader feels afterward?
•She points to laws and courtroom practices that leave enslaved people with “nothing to protect” them when a master is cruel. What does a legal system teach a society about who counts as trustworthy or fully human?
•She challenges people in the Northern “free states,” arguing they still benefit from or participate in the system. What are realistic ways someone can be complicit in an injustice they don’t personally commit?
•She appeals directly to “Christian men and women,” saying prayer and sympathy must turn into action. What’s the difference between feeling bad about something and taking responsibility for it? Where’s the line between them?
•She argues that education and support can help formerly enslaved people flourish and critiques the idea of simply sending people “to Africa” to avoid responsibility. What kind of “help” actually honors someone’s dignity and what kind of “help” is really just a way to keep distance?