Posted by Gayle on April 14, 2001 at 18:34:31:
In Reply to: Re: James Fenimore Cooper ... Question! posted by Rich on April 14, 2001 at 13:30:05:
: Thanks Diane, for the heads-up! I'd like to see both those shows!
: Last night, we received the following question about ole JFC:
: "Can you tell me what is meant by Hawkeye's 'I am a man without a cross'?"
: This has been discussed here on the Board in the, what seems like distant, past. We touch on it within the Web Site, and Mark A. Baker teaches a whole class on this ...
: Anybody want to take a stab?
Dear Rich and Anonymous Questionner,
The general consensus of scholars is that Hawkeye, in all five of the Leatherstocking Tales, repeatedly avows that he has no cross of Indian blood, but is strictly of European descent. It is in this way that Cooper reinforces the difference between white and Indian cultures and religious beliefs and justifies those practices to their own race. Hawkeye judges all of his own moral and behavioral codes according to the white system of standards and wants it well understood that it is the best of those standards to which he aspires. Thus Cooper draws a line between what should be expected from one of white heritage, as opposed to what should be expected from one of Indian ancestry. Neither is wrong - only different from the other.
There is an exceptionally good paper among the American Literature Asssociation Conference papers, in which the author argues that Hawkeye was really of partially Indian blood. Therefore, he continually restates he is a man without a cross in an effort to allay suspicion that would place him under the "One Drop" rule and lessen his respect among the whites. I don't agree with the premise or conclusion of the paper, but it is very well written and presents an excellent argument for the author's case. It can be accessed through the James Fenimore Cooper Society website. Highly recommended, as are almost all the ALA Conference Papers.
That clear it up any?
Gayle