The novel’s protagonist, Uncle Tom, is a slave on a Kentucky plantation. Tom is notable for his pious nature, his loyalty, and his incorruptible spirit. Tom remains spiritually and morally unmarred by the debasing influence of the system of slavery. This sets him apart from his peers and compatriots and is a continual source of wonder and frustration for his white masters. Tom has a wife, Aunt Chloe, and several children, from whom he is torn when his first master, Mr. Shelby, sells him downriver. Due to his docility and capitulation, Tom’s character spawned the negative “Uncle Tom” stereotype, a black person who does whatever he can to curry favor with white rulers.

Tom’s good nature and kind heart wins him favor with almost everyone with whom he comes in contact, from Dan Haley (the slave trader who buys him from Mr. Shelby) to Augustine St. Clare (Tom’s kind and indulgent New Orleans master). Tom loves children and befriends George Shelby and Eva St. Clare. Tom has an especially close relationship with Eva: they frequently read the Bible together, and when Eva falls ill, Tom is her constant attendant.