Augustine St. Clare, Tom's third owner and the father of the novel's saintly child, is an odd and interesting character, an amalgam of traits that we finally find coherent and human. He is a "Byronic" hero, a thoughtful spokesman against slavery, and a reluctant (and at last repentant) materialist.
St. Clare's character contains a huge contradiction, in that he is a slaveowner whose way of life is sustained by the system he rejects morally and philosophically. This contradiction must somehow be explained, if we are to find him anything but a complete hypocrite, and Stowe explains it by showing him as a lazy man — physically and especially morally. This is understood to be a result of a traumatic experience in St. Clare's past: His heart was broken. If he had married his true love, it is implied, he would have lived in the North and opposed slavery more truly and effectively than his cousins, for he grew up with the system and hated it personally. But, alas, St. Clare was cheated and betrayed; he foolishly married Marie, who could probably not breathe without the help of slaves; and he begat little Eva, the image of his sainted mother and the light of his life. Thus, he has become cynical, knowing what is right but careless of the state of his own soul. His obligation to Eva keeps him from becoming entirely dissolute, and his moral despair allows him to live with the guilt of enjoying a comfortable life that is supported by owning slaves.
