Mr. and Mrs. Shelby are characters from the novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Elisabeth Beecher Stowe.
Harriet Elisabeth Beecher Stowe was born in June 14, 1811 and died in July 1, 1896. She was an American abolitionist and author. She came from the Beecher family, a famous religious family, and is best known for her novel Uncle Tom's Cabin, which portrays the harsh conditions for enslaved African Americans. The book reached millions as a novel and play, and became influential in the United States and Great Britain, motivating anti-slavery forces in the American North, while provoking widespread anger in the South. Stowe wrote 30 books, including novels, three travel memoirs, and collections of articles and letters.
The book Uncle Tom’s Cabin stars with a Kentucky farmer named Arthur Shelby facing the loss of his farm because of debts. Even though he and his wife Emily Shelby believe that they have a benevolent relationship with their slaves, Shelby decides to obtain the needed funds by selling two of their slaves, Uncle Tom, a middle-aged man with a wife and children, and Harry, the son of Emily Shelby's maid Eliza to a slave trader. Emily Shelby is opposed to this idea because she had promised her maid that her child would never be sold; Emily's son, George Shelby, hates to see Tom go because he sees the man as his friend and mentor.
The Theme the author wants to communicate with the portrayal of Mr. and Mrs. Shelby is:
It is impossible not to be tainted by the evil of slavery. Even though the Shelby did not want to sell their slaves they had to due to their own problems.
