Uncle Tom's Cabin Chapter 23 Summary

  • St. Clare’s brother, Alfred, and his son, Henrique, come to visit.
  • Henrique and Eva decide to go horseback riding.
  • Henrique gets so upset at his servant, Dodo, because the horse is dirty that he refuses to listen to the explanation and cracks Dodo across the face with a riding whip.
  • Eva gets upset while Tom explains that Dodo had cleaned the horse – it’s just that the horse is so wild that it broke loose and got a bit dirty.
  • Eva tries to convince Henrique that whipping Dodo is wrong, but Henrique thinks Tom is probably lying.
  • When Dodo brings the horse back out again, Eva thanks him sweetly and Henrique gives him a penny. The narrator points out that Eva’s kindness means far more to Dodo than Henrique’s money.
  • Alfred and St. Clare discuss slavery. Alfred insists that some men are not born equal and should be kept down at all costs. Most of all, they should not be educated.
  • Oh, St. Clare says, they’re being educated all right – in cruelty and barbarism.
  • When Alfred says that the Anglo-Saxon race is the dominant one, St. Clare points out that there’s plenty of Anglo-Saxon blood among the slaves now.
  • Alfred does agree that white children are at a disadvantage; they have too much freedom under the current system and it allows them to exercise their passions in negative ways, such as those displayed by Henrique moments earlier.
  • When Eva and Henrique return, Alfred points out how beautiful Eva is.
  • The horse-ride has proved to be too much for Eva, who is more obviously sick with tuberculosis now.
  • Eva and Henrique continue to discuss his treatment of Dodo. Eva thinks that Henrique should love Dodo. Henrique thinks Eva’s insane.