I was quite surprised, in chapter 17, when George and the other escaping slaves are so sympathetic to Tom, the slave catcher who had been trying to capture them just a few minutes before. Tom and his friends are initially portrayed as terrifying, tyrannical figures. One of Tom’s friends, Marks, even tries to shoot George, and “the ball had passed close to his hair, [and] had nearly grazed the cheek of his wife” (205). The reader is encouraged to feel afraid of the slave catchers, and to see them as the embodiment of evil. 

But then this abruptly shifts after Tom has been injured and left by his friends, when the fugitive slaves immediately become sympathetic. Jim’s mother says “he’s got a mammy, now… I can’t help kinder pityin’ on him” (208). They rescue the injured Tom and carry him to someone’s house, where he is taken care of. I was really shocked by the sudden change in their attitude, especially as it only happened in the span of a few pages. I also felt this was not very realistic, and glosses over the hatred and anger that real fugitive slaves would have felt towards slave catchers. 

I think that Stowe is trying to balance a hatred of slavery with a peaceful, Christian attitude at the same time. When George explains how he will shoot anyone who tries to take his family back into slavery, the Quaker Simeon says that “the leaders of our people taught a more excellent way; for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God” (196). Similarly, when Phineas says to “let them look out, that’s all”, Simeon replies that “it’s quite plain thee wasn’t born a Friend” (196). This demonstrates that while Stowe thinks slavery is wrong, she thinks it is equally wrong to respond to slavery with hatred or violence, and that is why she shows the scene where Tom is taken in and cared for. However, I felt like her attitude comes from her perspective as a privileged white woman. If she was the one escaping from slavery, with violent slave catchers chasing after her, I doubt she would be so supportive of pacifism.