A criticism of Stowe's novel is that the two story lines seem to be disjointed. We have Harry, Eliza, and George making their way to freedom while poor Uncle Tom dies in the darkest plantation in all of the South.
Those who criticize Stowe in this way have been totally missing the point.
In Uncle Tom's Cabin, Stowe has created two paths to freedom. One path deals with the literal, though it symbolizes Canada as a sort of promised or Beulah land for the slave. Crossing Lake Erie into safety could also symbolize passing through the death of one life (slavery) and rebirth into a new life (freedom) on the other side.
Many parallels exist in Stowe's novel. The two paths to freedom are yet another parallel. Uncle Tom's path leads him away from literal freedom and further South into the chains of slavery. In Louisiana Tom finds himself in the lowest hell on earth. Yet while Tom has traveled opposite the way of physical freedom, God has ordered his path to spiritual freedom. His final months on Legree's plantation bring Tom closer to his dear Savior then ever before. He knows that his time on this earth is coming near to an end. When two of Legree's slaves go missing, the cruel master takes out all his anger by torturing Tom. Lying in a pit somewhere in Louisiana, seemingly lost in this world, Tom is all but lost in the eyes of Christ. As Tom breathes his last breath, his soul is released from the chains of his broken body. He has passed over the river, finding freedom on the other side.
We are not to weep for Tom. George, Eliza, and Harry have found freedom of a sort; Tom's freedom, however, is far greater, for he has reached a much better country.
WC:304
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