|
rather than a single man. Whatever happens, he sticks to his belief in Christianity and tried to help others to change by persuasion. Mrs. Stowe portrayed such a character as Tom because she herself believes in Christianity and was greatly influenced by Christianity and believes in the kindness in human beings.
2.2 Little Eva
The five-year old “Litter Eva” is characterized as a beautiful, angelic child. It is a female character that can’t be ignored. Eva’s name is “Evangeline St. Clare”; “Evangeline” symbols the ideal image of an angel. In Bible, angel is sent by God to help and save those who needed. The little Eva is full of love and friendliness to others. She tries to do her bit to help others. In this way, she is just like an angel sent by God. Somehow she always tries to put herself on equality with every creature that comes near her. Tom and her become best friends, and they are bonded by the common love they have for those around them. Once her father asks her whether it is better to live in her grandpa, Vermont or to have a house full of servantHer reason is to have so many more round you to love. She chooses the latter. The reason she asks her father to buy Tom is also to make Tom happy. When Tom tells the Prune’s story to Eva, “ She did not claim, or wonder, or weep, as other children would do. Her cheeks grew pale, and a deep, earnest shadow passed over her eyes. She laid both hands on her bosom, and sighed heavily.” [17]P222 Eva has many puzzling problems, such as why the black men would be slaves, why Tom would be separated from his wife and children, why Prue would be dead, why Topsy is so disliked by others. She hopes that the people around her are all happy. Just as her name “ Evangeline” suggests, she is an evangelist to everyone. She often listens to the stories from Bible told by Tom. She shares the Gospel with the slaves in her father’s plantation and helps them to learn knowledge and gives them hope. Unfortunately, she does not live a long life. Towards her death, she gives every slave servant in her house a lock of fair golden hair and asks the slaves to be good Christians; she also has her father promised that he would let them free.
Mrs. Stowe shows the idea of trying her best to change the society for the better and save people with Christian spirit and actions. She hopes to spread the universal love in Christianity by Eva. [18] Though Eva dies at a young age, her death is not sad. The reason is that for Mrs. Stowe, who believes in Christianity from her childhood, death is a better reflection of heroism. And for her, death stands for victory rather than failure. The death of Eva is the same of Jesu’s death. Mrs. Stowe hopes to save souls of the evil by Eva’s death. Eva’s death changed Topsy. We can learn from the novel that Topsy is originally one without love from his mother and refuses to do as he is told. It is Eva that changed him for the better. We can see this from the following dialogue between Eva and Topsy.
“Topsy. Miss Ophelia would love you, if you were good.”
Topsy gave the short, blunt laugh that was her common mode of expressing incredulity.
“Don’t you think so?” said Eva.
“No; she can’t bar me, ’cause I’m a nigger!－she’d soon have a toad touch her! There can’t nobody love niggers, and niggers can’ do nothin’! I don’t care,” said Topsy, beginning to whiltle.
“O, Topsy, poor child, I love you!” said Eva, with a sudden burst of feeling, and laying her little thin, white hand on Topsy’s shoulder; “I love you, because you haven’t had any father, or mother, or friends;－because you’ve been a poor, abused child! I love you and I want you to be good. I am very unwell, Topsy, and I think I shan’t live a great while; and it really grieves me, to have you be so naughty. I wish you would try to be good, for my sake; －it’s only a little while I shall be with you.”
The round, keen eyes of the black child were overcast with tears;－large, bright drops rolled heavily down, one by one, and fell on the little white hand. Yes, in that moment, a ray of real belief, a ray of heavenly love, had penetrated the darkness of her heathen soul! She laid her head down between her knees, and wept and sobbed,－while the beautiful child, bending over her, looked like the picture of some bright angel stooping to reclaim a sinner. [19]P289
It is Eva’s words that makes Topsy makes up his mind to serve as a missionary in Africa where his people live. Ophelia also thinks highly of Eva’s universal love. We can learn this from what she said: “Well, she’s so loving! After all, though, she’s no more than Christ-like,” said Miss Ophelia; “I wish I were like her. She might teach me a lesson.” [20]P294
The description of little Eva in the novel is similar to the seven-year old blond little girl described in the preach in England and Ireland given by clergyman Dwight Lyman Moody. The preach named Little Child Angel describes a seven-year old blond girl, who is the s上一页 [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] 下一页
|
|
