Keeping in mind the American mindset in the early 19th
century, speculate about why people living in the new republic would have found
the Leatherstocking character so appealing.
In answering this, you might recall Thoreau’s points about
looking/walking West. To the east, he
said, is tradition, art, religion, Europe; to the West is nature, the future,
the unknown, the new America. Recall, too, that America was said to have something of an inferiority complex, especially when it came to art and literature. Given the cultural
psychology of America in the 19th century, why was Deerslayer such
an enormously popular figure?
Speculate!
In my opinion, the reason Deerslayer was so popular was first because of how cool he is. He is the type of guy that can grab a tomahawk out of the air and throw it back. Also, he will walk right into an Indian village when it probably will get him killed. He shows tremendous courage and people like reading about a white person that has that. Second, he holds up white supremacy. Even though he is very in-tuned with natives and nature, he still holds true to his whiteness. Deerslayer is also what most people want to be like. How cool would it be to grab a tomahawk out of the air and throw it right into a guys face? During the 19th century, America was very interested in Native Americans and nature. Deerslayer interacted with Native Americans and nature which played right into what people wanted to read.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the reason that "Hawkeye" was such a popular character and figure was because he represented the wild western fantasy that the people of the east often thought about, but he retains enough eastern ideals and characteristics to separate him from the native "savages" in the west. Like most fictional characters he appeals to the reader by being smarter, faster, and overall more capable than the natives he fights against, which reinforces the American mindset that white people are superior to everyone else. Also, during this time period there weren't many adventurous stories that glorified the American "west" fantasy. Most of the literature came out of Europe, which could not explain the ideas and the feelings the western frontier presented to Americans.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe reason that Leatherstocking was so popular was because he was the embodiment of the escape from conventional society that so many people had dreamed of for some time. I have to agree with Chris that in some ways he is portrayed as being pretty cool. The character can easily be used as a role model for people at the time. He was a white Christian (a seemingly good trait to have at the time) that had courage and honor, even when the odds are against him, as shown in the Huron encampment, and the luxuries of the Native Americans, which people allowed themselves to appreciate and desire.
ReplyDeleteLeatherstocking is a character that would appeal to the general public in the 19th century. His story, filled with white superiority and dashing heroism and bravery give the basic fundamentals of the general American mindset at the time.
Leatherstocking was such a popular character because he had such a unique balance of east and west. He exemplified the western culture of chaos and the unknown with his indian upbringing. At the same time however, he retains enough classic european background that he is still understood and relatable to the majority of the population. In this way, he serves as the perfect insight for the eastern (white) world and the savage and intense world of the native americans. Leatherstocking serves as a peephole for normal everyday eastern americans to look inside the wild and intricate world of the native americans. Americans appreciate the native american way of life and are interested by it because americans too see the value of nature, only feel differently about it which makes the relationship between the two more interesting. He is the best of both worlds, the strong and indian but also the cunning and advanced white man in the eyes of the racist era. And he's a pretty gnarly dude, its hard not to like him.
ReplyDeleteLeatherstocking was so popular among the people during its time because he embodied the Western dream. Leatherstocking was the antithesis of a member of any society, and he did not really belong to an community. Overall, he was a bad ass with a big gun and readers liked that. He was raised by Indians so he had the skills in hunting and fighting of an Indian, but at the same time he was white and upheld white ideals. Leatherstocking was also courageous and daring. He went in to a Huron village even though he knew it could result in his death, and in the village, he caught an axe that was thrown at him. Leatherstocking embodied what people, especially young men, thought it would be cool to be.
ReplyDeleteChris made a very good point about Leatherstocking having both the white-supremacist qualification along with being close to nature. This made him so popular because as people were traveling to the west they were intrigued by the vast virgin land but also did not want to stoop to the low levels of such heathens. Leatherstocking shows this native skill with the tomahawk that Americans would admire, while he still does not become one with the natives. He is the American idealized colonist because he demonstrates all of the positive qualities some associate with Indians while still keeping his "cool whiteness." Furthermore, in the end, Leatherstocking proves and consoles to the scared white travelers that his gun will always be bigger than that of the natives.
ReplyDeleteI think that Zach really hit the nail on the head with his blog post. Hawlkeye was America’s quintessential badass who portrayed Americans’ common passion for escapism and white supremacy. Hawkeye is able to associate himself with the Indians but still keep his distance from their poor social status. Additionally, Hawkeye is able to maintain his honor while still keeping one step in front of the savages. In reality, Deerslayer is the man that people wish they could be. He is strong, fast, intelligent, and he leads the life of an itinerant wayfarer but retains the Northern-European supremacy complex of his urban counterparts.
ReplyDeleteOn another level, these stories were not meant for the actual Deerslayer types. Rather, they were meant for the town-dwellers who sat at home and dreamed of killing savages and insulting the native women. Naturally, these stories are not realistic, and they are intentionally so. The Leatherstocking novels were written for only one thing, to sell copies. Cooper did not take care in making an accurate portrayal of his characters; his goal was entertainment and wide-range appeal. From the chapters that were assigned, it seems that most every aspect of Hawkeye was exaggerated to its fullest extent in order to create the perfect fictionalized character, and there is nothing that Americans love more than distortion of reality. -S. J. Armstrong
I completely agree with Christine and Chris. They touched on both his white supremacist outlook and also his background regarding nature. Although I'm not sure that this hasn't been said, I think that Hawkeye was such a widely popular character in the 19th century was mainly because he displayed the view of most Americans during that time. The backbone of this view consisted of Americans, whites in particular, being above everyone else; that Americans are some how entitled to what was not originally theirs, referring to the Native American tribes and their land. ~frachon
ReplyDeleteI agree with stephen, Deerslayer was such a popular character because he was simply so badass. He had everything you needed to make me a lovable character. He came from the tough roots (raised by indians) but still is relatable to the intended audience (white people) because he's still one of them. Just imagine the main character of a story, with an "enormous gun" who can catch a tomahawk being thrown at him, throw it back and "brain" another guy!! That's so epic. And even though Cooper's writing is dense, he still brings out these fantastic scenes that show what a great character Deerslayer is.
ReplyDeletei agree with steven that the stories were not made for people that were like Deerslayer but more the average person who wishes their life was more eventful. I also agree with everyone about his white supremacist outlook on life and how he see's the native americans as savages. I think that Deerslayer is the perfect example of someone who is both western in his actions but still eastern in his beliefs and values. He has a very strong sense of pride and christian beliefs but he can also throw a tomahawk down the middle of your head and kill you instantly.
ReplyDeleteCorrect me if I am wrong to say that Cooper was more of a romantic writer rather than a realistic writer. Writing down America as he percieved it rather than what it really was at the time. Through this romantic scope is how the character of Deerslayer came alive. The reasons behind Deerslayer being so revered is because of the romantic way that Cooper wrote. Deerslayer possessed the same ideals that Americans at the time, too, had. Similar to Deerslayer Americans at the time were open to Indians but to a point. Americans were welcome to interacting with Indians, trading with them, fighting them, but that was where the niceness ended. When it came to becoming an "injin" as Deerslayer put it and being asked to become one of them was an insult to the Americans at the time. This is where people, alike Deerslayer, drew a fine chalk line between the "savages" and themselves. With the character Deerslayer, came a man with the same values of Americans at the time. Giving Cooper's readers a man that walked every once and a while but always ventured back on the highway towards the east where his morals, and values lay. A man who was the perfect balance of the west and the east. Also, Deerslayer gave something for people to get excited about, a type of fantasy, you could say for people to talk about. Deerslayer becomes the character that everyone wishes they were like, on who held "his word" on a pedestal along with his religious beliefs and morals. Because with the ending of the revolution came a long "dead period" in American History for a while where there was nothing really for American to look forward too. Further more unlike the past main characters form adored novels such as Rip Van Winkle. Deerslayer doesn't take to people wanting to change his way of life easily, by just letting them shove him in a corner, like Rip does. Deerslayer acts out against society, specifically the indian society that tries to force him into an American.
ReplyDeleteOn another note similar to what my fellow classmates said, who can't love a badass takes a the *BLEEP* that his enemy gives him and flings it back at his enemy? So stealthily?
^ by Madison Gerace
DeleteI believe that the character of Deerslayer was so popular because of the pure American dream that he represented and lived to the fullest. As may before me mentioned, Deerslayer both was close to nature and the wild (that which represented the west to many at that time), while maintaining an air of "white supremacy" over the Indians he lived among. People of the time we intrigued by the idea of moving west, conquering new lands, and moving their frontier. Deerslayer does this in a manner different then others. He pushes so far into the west he enters the heart of indian territory. While he has the appearance of an indian, the author keeps the audiences interest in him by boosting their own ego. Because Deerslayer is white, his has a morality stronger then any "heathen" could imagine, unmatched bravery and skill, as well as a sense of civility that is put in contrast to those of the indians. His character was so popular because it allowed people to live through his adventures not seeing him become one of the common enemy, but rather as a brave hero fighting for what was represented by their american dream.
ReplyDeleteEven though I am not really a fan of James Fenimore Cooper's writing (and have a blown reading check to show for it), I am definitely a fan of Deerslayer, mostly for the reasons that Chris described. In a time when America was still new and searching for meaning and a quality that made it unique, the people were presented with a truly badass American who embodied all of the ideals that American people would eventually identify with. Americans are cool; Americans are superior; Americans always win; and above all else, Americans carry massive guns. giggity. In much the same way that Rip Van Winkle served to define the classic American story, Deerslayer came to be the classic American character. The literary embodiment of everything we as a society think of as cool. Sure the Europeans have their art and their culture and their museums and their books, but we have nature and dudes who catch axes.
ReplyDeleteI am a somewhat qualifying fan of Deerslayer. He represents a great and realistic divide between the personalities and countenances of the western American man. They believe they are truly men of great social strides and dignified character. They “respect the native american tribes” and attempt to emulate them to show “they are one of them”. But each and every one of those men holds a little gem of self-respect, and in that way they reserve it for themselves. “I could never marry one of your heathen kind.”
ReplyDeleteI think in that specific way, that is what people admired in a character such as Deerslayer. He was the man who could straddle both worlds and remain the prouder, greater American man. It’s almost in the same way that people discuss their heritage. My parents are Italian and German, but I remember I would say that I was 60% Italian. He thinks that he can always retain a majority of his American heritage, no matter how much prowess these Native Americans prove to have.