Cooper: The Fair and the Fickle

James Fenimore Cooper’s treatment of white and red gifts undoubtedly holds a bias that closely reflects the “white man’s burden.” The white man’s burden consists of whites teaching lesser races the benefits of civilization and morality over savagery. For example, in Cooper’s “Notion of the Americans,” the Indians are a lazy, “stunted, dirty, and degraded race.” For this reason, whites set up reservations and give the Indians an education. They also pay for land that “[the Indians] did not want, nor could they use.” The Indians are overall a lazy bunch, while the whites are fair and just; they not only pay fairly for the land but also give more than they need to (i.e. and education and technological civilization). The perfect example of this is found in the story of the peacock feather. And while some Indians are sometimes given the gifts of honesty and gratefulness, Cooper mentions, “he is well known to be as eminently grateful as he is vindictive.” Indians are fickle characters known for their trickery and deceit; they are not to be trusted.

Deerslayer understands the fickle ways of the Indian in chapter seven of The Deerslayer. An Indian attempts to shoot him after they had agreed to go their own ways, as compared to earlier when Deerslayer had decided that he would not shoot the Indian while he had his back turned. After Deerslayer mortally shoots the Indian he still gives him water and does not scalp him. Deerslayer’s gifts are merciful but just, therefore showing his (and white’s) superiority over the Indian race’s fickleness.