This scene does well to show us the apathy of Haley, who callously sells this woman's child right out from underneath her the moment she steps away. He is more preoccupied with the idea of her raising a fuss or making a scene than how much agony she's in, the hurt he has caused and the inhumanity of selling a living, breathing, ten month old child. In this he is seeing profit and damage control, nothing more and nothing less. It makes note of how desensitized he has become to the reactions of women who he does this to, and the relief he felt in seeing her shut down and cry in a calmer manner. Even describing it as an advantage. 

Such a powerful scene! One meant to represent the sheer force of will that a good mother contains, the lengths at which she would go to save her own child! Barefoot, blood staining the white ice underneath her feet. Mothers know pain, they know blood, and in Eliza's case the force of her desperation and determination would be rather reflective of all those like her during that time. To show how fiercely she loved her child, the same as any other mother of any skin color. She bleeds red, just as a white woman would. This scene stands strongly as a means of showing Eliza's bravery and humanity, and the image of her leaping from ice sheet to ice sheet is a profound one.

I find the neutrality of Mr. Shelby interesting, the way his lack of religion is used almost as an illusion to his inability to stand firm and protect those under his care. It makes note that he respects the beliefs of his wife certainly, but in the end that respect means nothing when backed into a corner, and religion doesn't play a part in his decisions as it does others.

Such an important first sentence. As mentioned by historians and analysis of the text, this first sentence is a bold statement of Brown's humanity, his existence, his place on planet Earth and the acknowledgement that we all enter this world the same way.

As with most attempts at stirring sympathy from the masses during this time period, Christianity as well had to be wielded as a means of reaching the hearts and minds of those they needed support from. Despite the obvious points at which the religion was used as a tool of suppression, cruelty, and inhumanity towards slaves, on the other side of the coin it too had a purpose to serve.

Brown touching on the importance of recognizing American Religion and the role it played in furthering slavery and justifying it's usage. As religion is continuously used as a means to sanctify violence and justify the owning of our fellow man, and as a get out of jail free card for allowing those who perpetrated these acts of cruelty to find forgiveness in a party not involved.