Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin infuriated the South because it portrayed a black person as the martyr, as an honorable, good, and wise person. whereas a white person was shown as a sinner and a bad man.
As you already know, the South was the part of America that had slaves and that was against the abolition of slavery, so of course this novel infuriated them.
The answer is a hope this helps
The word empty as an over whelming negative connotation when you are feeling empty you are typically in a lowered state, and or sad/depressed.
