Why does shelby refuse to sell eliza

Sam maneuvers Haley into taking the wrong road, and they lose several more hours. When they finally reach the village where Eliza is staying, it is almost dusk. Sam spots Eliza at a window and makes a diversion that gives her time to wake Harry and run out the inn door toward the river.

Haley sees her and gives chase, but Eliza jumps onto a huge floating chunk of ice. Carrying the boy, she leaps from cake to cake of ice as her pursuers watch in horror and amazement. She reaches the Ohio side and is helped onto shore by a Kentucky farmer who recognizes her but has no desire to return her to Shelby.

He directs her to a house where she can get help. Seeing all this, Sam and Andy leave Haley and head for home. Thus Eliza's northward adventures get underway before Tom's journey southward has begun, and the novel's two plot lines separate, a separation that will make for reader interest as we are taken from one setting, group of characters, and often suspenseful action to another, a strategy that must have been especially good for magazine sales when the story first appeared in serial form.

The Eliza plot involves numerous characters, mostly minor, who help Eliza and her family to escape. The first of these are Sam, a wily Shelby farmhand, aided by the servant Andy; Chloe and her helpers in the kitchen; and Mrs. Shelby herself, who sees what these characters are doing and does not openly encourage them but does her best to assist in slowing down the search.

Eliza's first helper on the northern side of the Ohio is a sympathetic Kentuckian who admires her courage. We should remember that, although escaped slaves who had crossed into a "free" state could have been captured and returned to the south in previous years, only after the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act which took effect in were citizens of the free states forbidden by law to help these fugitives, a development that not only led many Northerners to break the law but also forced escapees to travel farther, all the way to Canada, if they wanted to be sure of their freedom.

The portrayal of characters in these chapters bears some examination. Chloe, in her bitter reaction to Eliza's news, demonstrates that her clowning in Chapter 4 was only an act. She is prepared to flatter her owners, to play the game as expected and teach it to her children, but she is not able nor does she try to hide her anger and grief at Tom's sale.

Moreover, the exchange between Chloe and Tom in the kitchen, as she prepares to serve lunch, illustrates the specific character of Tom's Christian fortitude. Chloe meets Tom's suggestion that they ought to pray for the trader rather than curse him with the retort that praying for Haley does not seem to be in her nature.

It is not natural, Tom tells her; but we are required by Christianity to overcome nature, which we can do with Christ's grace. Tom's statement here, one of the first we hear him make, clearly expresses not only his strongest character trait but also one of the book's chief themes. The Shelbys appear here as flat characters, existing to further the plot, not very interesting except as they contrast with the two other married couples we have met so far.

For the sake of plot and theme, we must take at face value Shelby's claim that he really had no choice but to sell Tom and Harry, and although we do not know how much money was involved, we may deduce from sums mentioned later in the book and Haley's claim, likely understated, that Eliza would bring "over a thousand" on the New Orleans market that Shelby really has nothing else of so much value that he might have sold instead.

Yet the man's apparent regret at this necessity, expressed in snappishness at his wife's shocked reaction, shows up rather badly against Tom's wholehearted grief. For that matter, Mrs. Shelby's embarrassment and even her bold pronouncement on the evils of slavery lose some force when contrasted with Eliza and George's willingness to risk all personal safety and well-being in order to preserve their family.

One afternoon in February, Mr. Shelby and Dan Haley discuss selling Tom, one of Mr. Shelby trusts Tom; he is a pious man, and he even trusts him with money. Haley suggests including Harry with Tom and they will have a deal. Haley wants to buy Eliza; Shelby refuses because his wife will not part with her.

Haley wants Harry instead; he wants to sell him to a friend who breeds handsome slaves. Shelby does not want to separate him from Eliza. Indeed, they hardly ever saw each other. George's master was a cruel man, and would not let him come to see his wife.

He was so cruel, and beat George so dreadfully, that the poor slave made up his mind to run away. He had come that very day to tell Eliza what he meant to do. As soon as Mr. Shelby stopped talking, Eliza crept away to her own room, where little Harry was sleeping. There he lay with his pretty curls around his face. His rosy mouth was half open, his fat little hands thrown out over the bed—clothes, and a smile like a sunbeam upon his face.

But mother will save you yet! She did not cry. She was too sad and sorrowful for that. Taking a piece of paper and a pencil, she wrote quickly. I heard all you and master said to—night. I am going to try to save my boy—you will not blame me!

God bless and reward you for all your kindness! She gathered a few of Harry's clothes into a bundle, put on her hat and jacket, and went to wake him. Poor Harry was rather frightened at being waked in the middle of the night, and at seeing his mother bending over him, with her hat and jacket on. A wicked man was coming to take little Harry away from his mother, and carry him 'way off in the dark. But mother won't let him. She's going to put on her little boy's cap and coat, and run off with him, so the ugly man can't catch him.

Harry stopped crying at once, and was good and quiet as a little mouse, while his mother dressed him. When he was ready, she lifted him in her arms, and crept softly out of the house. It was a beautiful, clear, starlight night, but very cold, for it was winter—time. Eliza ran quickly to Uncle Tom's cottage, and tapped on the window. Aunt Chloe was not asleep, so she jumped up at once, and opened the door.

She was very much astonished to see Eliza standing there with Harry in her arms. Uncle Tom followed her to the door, and was very much astonished too.