Chapter 45 Summary

The author takes the opportunity to address the authenticity of the story in this final chapter as the result of inquiries from correspondents from all over America. The incidents portrayed in the book are drawn from the observations of the author, or friends, with much of the dialogue written word-for-word as it had been spoken. The characters are drawn as compilations of more than one person in most cases, but the vulnerability of slaves, who were dependent on the state of commerce was a general misery shared by all.

Stowe calls upon people in the northern states to examine the story she tells and not look away but rather engage all their Christian ethics to end the atrocity of human bondage. Stowe directly speaks to the reader in regard to individual responsibility and suggests that only each person can judge for himself, and...