Study Questions

1. Why does Legree want to break Tom’s gentle character?

2. What does Tom notice about Lucy that makes him help her in the fields?

3. When Sambo catches Tom helping Lucy, what is Legree’s reaction when he learns about it?

4. What does Tom declare that he would rather do than whip somebody?

5. How does Legree try to argue his case on religious grounds for Tom to obey him?

6. When Legree says that he has purchased Tom body and soul, what is Tom’s reply?

7. What does Cassy suggest that Tom give up after his beating?

8. How long has Cassy been on the Legree plantation?

9. From where is Cassy originally?

10. What happened to Cassy’s last child when the others were sold from her?

Answers

1. Legree wants to break Tom and make him into an overseer. But to be effective to Legree, Tom must be brutal to get the most work out of the other slaves.

2. He notices that she is getting exhausted.

3. He tells Sambo and Quimbo that they all will have to break Tom.

4. Tom declares that he would rather die first than whip slaves.

5. He argues that the Bible says for servants to obey their masters.

6. Tom replies that Legree does not own the servant’s soul, but God does.

7. She suggests that he give up being nice to people because Legree is too powerful.

8. She has been on the plantation for five years.

9. She is originally from New Orleans.

10. Cassy killed her last child so that it would not suffer a life in slavery.