Final answer:
In Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Simon Legree is most responsible for the institution of slavery according to the book, as he represents its corrupting influence on individuals and society.
Step-by-step explanation:
In Uncle Tom’s Cabin, the institution of slavery is not attributed to a single character but rather is depicted as a systemic issue. However, if one were to choose the character most responsible for perpetuating the institution of slavery as represented in the book, it would be Simon Legree. Legree is a brutal slave owner who embodies the corrupting influence of slavery on individuals, demonstrating a lack of empathy and humanity towards the enslaved people he controls.
Harriet Beecher Stowe uses Legree’s character to illustrate the moral decay that can occur when one partakes in the enslavement of others. The novel stresses that the sin of slavery is not only the physical and emotional damage done to the enslaved but also the moral corrosion it causes in slave owners and society at large. Stowe also criticizes northerners for their complicity, as Legree, the villain of the story, is originally from the North yet participates extensively and cruelly in the enslavement of others.