Uncle Tom's Cabin Volume 2, Chapter 37 Summary

Summary

The chapter shifts from Tom Loker's recovery under Aunt Dorcas's care to follow George Harris and his wife Eliza as they make their final flight toward Canada. Tom Loker lies three weeks in a Quaker home, quarrelsome but ultimately softened by the treatment he receives; Aunt Dorcas tends him with calm, religious firmness. Tom resolves to abandon slave-catching and later becomes a trapper in a new settlement, speaking well of the Quakers who nursed him. Meanwhile, Jim and his mother are sent on separately, and George, Eliza, and their child are privately lodged in Sandusky under a hospital roof in preparation for the lake passage.

Eliza and George prepare carefully: she cuts her hair and dons men’s clothes while George arranges their tickets and disguises. Mrs. Smyth poses as the child’s aunt and has been fostering little Harry to make the separation easier. Marks, a persistent pursuer, appears in Sandusky and nearly exposes them when he describes their features to a clerk; George hears but keeps his composure. The party boards the steamer; as Lake Erie carries them, hope and fear alternately seize George. At last the Canadian shore appears, Amherstberg is reached, and the small company lands. Overwhelmed with relief and gratitude, George and Eliza kneel together with their child and thank God for freedom. The chapter closes with a reflection on the spiritual and civil blessings of liberty and an appeal to those who perpetuate bondage.

Key events

1. Tom Loker nursed by Aunt Dorcas and resolves to change his life
2. Fugitives are divided; George, Eliza, and little Harry head for Sandusky
3. Eliza disguises herself by cutting her hair and wearing men's clothes
4. Mrs. Smyth acts as the child's aunt to aid their passage
5. Marks nearly recognizes them at the wharf, but George remains composed
6. The steamer reaches Amherstberg; the family lands and kneels in gratitude

Analysis

This chapter performs several functions: it provides a tonal counterpoint to the violence associated with slave-catchers by showing humane care (Aunt Dorcas's Quaker household) and by delivering the emotional climax of a successful escape. Structurally, it pivots the narrative from immediate danger to the arrival at freedom, converting suspense into spiritual release. Thematically, it celebrates personal liberty as the core human right, aligning national rhetoric about freedom with an individual family's deliverance. The repeated focus on small domestic acts—Eliza cutting her hair, dressing the child, George's steady composure—renders the epic idea of liberty intimate and human. Symbolically, the lake and the English/Canadian shore function as the literal and figurative threshold between bondage and emancipation; the bell, the landing, and the kneeling reinforce transition and sacrament. The narrative technique contrasts quiet, detailed scenes of preparation with elevated, almost hymn-like reflections on liberty, blending realism with moral exhortation. Foreshadowing appears in Tom Loker’s altered character—his recovery and subsequent reformation hint at the novel’s moral argument that humane institutions can redeem. The chapter also underlines community aid (Mrs. Smyth, the Quaker household, the missionary) as essential to escape, emphasizing collective moral responsibility against slavery.

Important quotes

“The morning star of liberty rose fair before them!”

NarratorAnnounces the hopeful dawn as George and Eliza approach their final passage to Canada.

“THE FUGITIVES ARE SAVE IN A FREE LAND.”

NarratorA triumphant proclamation at the moment the party sight and reaches the Canadian shore.

“I feel it in me, that God is going to bring us out of bondage, this very day.”

Eliza HarrisEliza expresses her confident faith and hope on the eve of their crossing, giving emotional momentum to the escape.

Characters in Volume 2, Chapter 37

• Tom Loker
• Aunt Dorcas
• Tom
• George Harris
• Eliza Harris
• Mrs. Smyth
• Harry
• Marks
• Jim
• Jim's mother