Native American representation in Chap. 11

Little House on the Prairie - Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Chapter 11. Indians in the House

Here I list all of the quotes that I intend to reference in the analysis of Chapter 11 regarding the representation of Native Americans. This should make your life a lot easier without having to flick back and forward in the book. There is also a illustration from the book which shows a visual representation of Native Americans.

• First contact with the Native American in this chapter.

p106 - '...and she saw two naked, wild men coming.'
p106 - 'They were tall, thin, fierce-looking men.'

• Derogating the Native American.

p106 - 'Laura's head turned and so did Mary's, and they looked at the place where those terrible men would appear'

• The building swell of Social Darwinism

p106 - 'Their skin was brownish-red. Their heads seemed to go up to a peak'.
p106 - 'Their eyes were black...like snakes' eyes.'

• Jacks reaction. Animalistic imagery and mirroring

p106 - 'His eyes were red and his lips curled back and all the hair on his back was bristling.'

• The context of Wilder

p110 (Amy Fatzinger "Indians in the Little House" 2008) - 'Wilder’s work, though progressive for its time in some aspects, also reflects the experiences and attitudes of her times which were not always favorable toward Native people.'

• Metaphors relating to Native American access to the American Dream.

p110 - '...where hair grows, these wild men had no hair.'
p111 - 'They ate every morsel of it, and even picked up the crumbs from the hearth.'

• Gender

p112 - ''Now we must get dinner,' she said. 'Pa will be here soon and we must have dinner ready for him. Mary, bring me some wood. Laura, you may set the table',''

• Contrary view. Charles' empathetic standpoint.

p113 - 'Pa told her 'We don't want to make enemies of any Indians,''.
p179 - 'Pa told her not to worry. 'That Indian was perfectly friendly,' he said. 'And their camps down among the bluffs are peaceful enough. If we treat them well and watch Jack, we wont have any trouble.''
p166 - 'All they do is roam around over it like wild animals'