Savagely Sentimental: The Creation and Destruction of the Sentimental Indian in Lydia Maria Child’s Hobomok

Authors

  • Robyn Johnson University of California, Riverside

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25120/etropic.16.2.2017.3622

Keywords:

female writer, 'Noble Savage', Hobomok, sentimental male

Abstract

Lydia Maria Child, known during her time for controversial writing, has largely fallen out of focus in current feminist studies. As an activist, many of her pieces questioned the role of gender, race, and sexuality in the early nineteenth century. Hobomok, published in 1824, is considered one of her most radical tales. Detailing the marriage and procreation of a white woman and a Native American man, Hobomok shocked audiences with its content. Many critics have come to view Hobomok as a piece of feminine rebellion, seeing Mary Conant as an example of feminine refusal. Although such interpretations hold merit, they often ignore the role of Hobomok, the titular character. Hobomok is the first visible experimentation of the sentimental male. Other adaptations of the sentimental male do not appear in literature until Harriet Beech Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin. I argue that Child attempts to create one of the first sentimental males through Hobomok by compounding the qualities of masculinity and femininity of the era. Child is able to attempt such a task due to the pre-established concept of the “Noble Savage,” which already imbued Indians with sentimental attributes, and provides a valid and even rational justification for his extinction. Once establishing Hobomok as a “Noble Savage” and compounding masculine and feminine qualities within him, Child can easily and completely dismiss him so as to minimize his threat to white nineteenth century society. It is the compilation of his “noble savagery” and his feminine qualities that engenders his extermination. 

Author Biography

Robyn Johnson, University of California, Riverside

Robyn Johnson attends the University of California Riverside for her PhD in American literature, focusing on Native American literature, the presence of Native Americans in non-Native texts, global folklore and pop culture. She obtained her Master's in Literature from the University of Tennessee Chattanooga (2017) and her Bachelor's in Secondary Education English and Mathematics from DePaul University (2010).

Robyn has published multiple articles including, “A World Without Fathers: Patriarchy, Colonialism, and the Male Creator in Northwest Tribal Narratives” (2014, AIQ), “I Will Not Bow: Analysis of the Feminine Refusal of Hegel’s Master-Slave dialectic in Inuyasha” (2017, IJOCA), and "Savagely Sentimental: The Creation and Destruction of the Sentimental Indian in Lydia Maria Child's Hobomok" (2017, eTropic). In addition, she has two more articles expected to be published in the next few months, including “In the Past the Devil Has Won: Analysis of Seishi Kishimoto’s Satan and Savior in O-Parts Hunter" (2017, IJOCA) and "Not Just Any Ol' Injun: Analysis of Louise Erdrich's (Re)Appropriation and Alteration of Native American Stereotypes in Tracks" (2018, Critical Insights).

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Published

2017-12-15

How to Cite

Johnson, R. (2017). Savagely Sentimental: The Creation and Destruction of the Sentimental Indian in Lydia Maria Child’s Hobomok. ETropic: Electronic Journal of Studies in the Tropics, 16(2). https://doi.org/10.25120/etropic.16.2.2017.3622