In life people often predict and think that death is the worst punishment that an individual can receive;

and that death is the ultimate consequence to avoid and ignore. However, human history has shown repeatedly that people are relentless when it comes to performing atrocities on other persons. Throughout history people have thoroughly and systematically dehumanized other groups of people, stripping them of their very basic human rights and making their condition of living worse than any condition of death. This is evident in 19th century America when the Southern planters had an oppressive hold over the African American population. The Southerners objectified the African Americans into a state of slavery, removing all of their human qualities and ultimately leaving a psychological scar on the group that remains prominent today. Harriet Beecher directly challenges the dehumanizing effects of slavery in her novel, Uncle Toms Cabin. Throughout Uncle Toms Cabin, Stowes use of dialogue with her characters reveals her disdain towards the psychological dehumanization of slaves due to the objectification of the slaves into sub-human possessions. At the beginning of the novel we are introduced to the couple, George and Eliza whom are both victimized by the slavery. As a result of the cruelty and detachment of the institution of slavery, George and Eliza are tragically separated, serving under separate masters at separate plantations. Although Eliza is on good relations with her mistress, Mrs. Shelby, George, unfortunately, is unjustly abused by his owner to a point where he is no longer treated as a human being. In chapter three the back and forth between George and Eliza gives the readers an extremely strong sense of the complex mindset that George must foster for the countless instances of mistreatment and abuse he has endured. Georges melancholic feelings and his conversation with Eliza are direct results of Georges owner, also George, being an unbearably cruel caretaker, treating George as nothing more than a mere possession, scolding George for

being innovative, and forcing him to do the hardest, meanest, and dirtiest work,(20). In the dialogue George weeps to Eliza:
Yes, Eliza, its all misery, misery, misery! My life is bitter as wormwood; the very life is burning out of me. Im a poor, miserable, forlorn drudge; I shall only dragon you down with me, thats all. Whats the use if our trying to do anything, trying to be anything? Whats the use of living ? I wish I was dead!(20).

Georges concerns cannot be clearer and Stowes opinion of slavery is just as obvious. The abuse of slavery has psychologically tormented George up to the point where his disposition for life is no longer apathetic, but suicidal. Stowe wanted to make it clear that this form of psychological torment is intrinsically wrong to force on a human, as it makes the very essence of living a painful struggle; and that if a mans own wife is unable to comfort him, he is truly living in a state that is worse than death. As the novel progresses Stowe introduces the audience to many more advocates of slavery and many more slaves who are unfortunate enough to be in circumstances where they are the victims of these advocates. One particular advocate of slavery who does no less than a fine job of dehumanizing his slaves is Tom Loker. Tom Loker is introduced in chapter eight as a slave hunter whose countenance expresses, brutal and unhesitating violence (71). As the readers soon learn, his treatment of his past slaves mirrors exactly his cruel and shocking appearance. In the chapter, the conversation and dialogue between Mr. Haley, another slave owner, and Loker expose the inherent evils of slavery. Loker unwaveringly tells Haley:
I buys a gal, and if shes go a young un to be sold, I jest walks up and puts my fist to her face, and says, Look here, now, if you give me one word out of your head, Ill smash your face in. I wont hear one word, --not the beginning of a word. I says to em, This yer young uns mine, and not yourn, and youve no kind o business with it (73).

From this excerpt the readers learn that Loker observes no hesitation with his treatment of his slaves. He brutally dehumanizes his slaves up to the point where a child of a slave is no longer a child, but a mere possession, and that a mother is no longer a mother, but also a mere possession. This is a strong indication that Stowe holds an unparalleled disdain for the psychological dehumanization of slavery; if a mother cant even fulfill her very principle right, given to her by nature, of loving and nurturing her child, then something must be intrinsically wrong. Arguably the main character of the novel, Tom undergoes many changes in setting and circumstance as the novel progresses. One of the less favorable circumstances in which he had to experience was his time on Simon Legrees plantation. Simon Legree is an unforgiving slave owner who makes it his main priority to propagate misery and cruelty throughout his plantation. His treatment of slaves is appalling. Similarly to the other aforementioned slave owners, Legree considers his slaves nothing more than sub-human possessions, expendable at any moment. On his plantation Legree employs two black overseers who unfortunately, share his dehumanizing outlook on slavery. In chapter thirty two the course dialogue between one of Legrees overseers, Sambo, and his mistress, Lucy, whom was appointed to Sambo by Legree, is emblematic of everything that is wrong with Legrees dehumanizing management of slaves. In the conversation Sambo asserts his ownership over Lucy, and when Lucy exercises her inherent right to disagree Sambo threatens to attack her. She responds with:
Ye may kill me, if ye chooses,--the sooner the better! Wisht I was dead!(377)

Here Stowe gives the readers another instance where a slave wished he or she were dead rather than living under the oppression of slavery. At the point where Stowes dialogue directly says that dehumanization is worse than death we can see that Stowes intention for the novel was to express her hatred for the intrinsic wrongs of dehumanizing slaves.

Dialogue is a powerful tool utilized in literature. Stowes use of it in Uncle Toms Cabin is by no means an exception to this case. Throughout the novel the interactions and resulting dialogue between her characters draw a clear line of advocacy for Stowe; that she hated how slavery dehumanized and objectified its black victims up to a point where they lost all of their most basic liberties and living life became an unbearable burden. This is evident when George lamented to Eliza at the beginning of the novel, when Loker shared his gruesome stories with Haley, and when Sambo first talked to Lucy. Ultimately, through Stowes lens, the readers should be able to clearly see that slavery is intrinsically wrong, that humans are not born to be dehumanized, and finally that, the man could not become a thing (17).