But sentimentalism and the Gothic are often closely linked, both historically and thematically, and almost all examples of Gothic literature have strong sentimental underpinnings. Moreover, while not all sentimentalist works have Gothic elements, many do — for example, the novels of Charles Dickens, which Uncle Tom's Cabin resembles in numerous ways. Among the elements that most frequently identify the Gothic in literature are themes of oppression and guilt (which are often characterized as being handed down through generations), inequality in power struggles (with, often, the feminine or "feminized" characters suffering in consequence of such struggles), and stereotypical Gothic characters (typical sentimental characters exaggerated: the innocent heroine becomes a helpless victim, the "tamed" hero is powerless to save her, the "untamed" hero — out of control, his "masculine" attributes of aggression and acquisitiveness unchecked — becomes the Gothic villain or monster). These elements, too, are present in Stowe's novel, as the reader will recognize — even the Gothic characters, although their relationships with each other are unconventional.
Also identifying the Gothic are a number of typical objects, characters, motifs, or incidents that writer Thomas Thornburg, in "The Quester and the Castle: A Study in the Gothic Novel with Special Emphasis on Bram Stoker's Dracula," has called "trappings" of the Gothic. Among the most familiar of these are the ruined mansion, the haunted house or castle, the lost or misdirected letter, the dark and winding road or labyrinth, the "wasteland" or barrens, nightmares (what Thornburg calls "Gothic dreams," including birth dreams), and, of course, the vampire. These "trappings" appear in abundance, especially from Chapter 31 onward, and the title of Chapter 32 ("Dark Places") suggest that Stowe consciously brought them in. Legree's unkempt house and yard, once beautiful, have fallen into ruin; the house is said to be haunted (by the ghost of an imprisoned slave, perhaps a suicide); a dark and winding road, through "cypress swamps and pine barrens," leads to the plantation; Legree, drunk on brandy and overwhelmed with guilt, has nights of terrible dreams (mostly involving his mother); Ophelia's letter to Mrs. Shelby, which might have saved Tom's life, goes astray; and Cassy, warning Tom about their master, whom she knows all too well, describes Legree as a vampire.
