Act 2, Scene 3 Summary

The king and his British guests assemble in the theater to watch Tuptim's production of "The Small House of Uncle Thomas," in which the issue of slavery is portrayed by the royal singers and dancers. The lessons of snow and ice come into play in Tuptim's drama. Buddha is given credit for the slave Eliza being able to walk across the frozen Ohio River to freedom.

In Tuptim's play, Buddha also gets credit for sending sun to melt the frozen river and drowning the evil king, Simon Legree. Unfortunately, Buddha also exerts his will and takes Little Eva to heaven to be with him. The play finishes on this sad note, but the audience is enthusiastically appreciative of the program.

Act 2, Scene 3 Analysis

The foreshadowing of Anna's lesson about Norwegian snow and ice earlier in the musical has reappeared in Tuptim's...