The Savage and the Sage

When discussing white gifts as opposed to red gifts, one must keep in mind that this notion of gifts stems from a purely white perspective, and as such is a completely biased opinion. That being said, the white gifts are clearly the more honorable and praiseworthy attributes (obviously, since the author is white). White gifts are qualities such as integrity, mercy, sincerity, a trusting nature, graciousness, magnanimosity, and truthfulness. Red gifts are the diametric opposite, and are listed as follows: deceit, cunning, a simplistic mind, ruthlessness, a thieving nature, cruelty, and dishonesty. Basically, a red gift holds no merit, for it is in the "red man's" nature to act utterly unscrupulously, regardless of the situation. He cannot help who he is, and that is little more than a beast. Both of these gifts are highlighted in Chapter VII of The Deerslayer by James Fenimore Cooper. In this excerpt from the novel, Deerslayer is portrayed as a noble white man who gives the inferior Indian a chance to redeem himself, but of course the Indian fails to follow through. This is shown through many cases, one of which occurs when Deerslayer does not attack the Indian because the Indian is unaware of his presence. Even though the Indian first shot at Deerslayer without revealing his location, Deerslayer is averse to sinking to the Indian’s level, since that would be dishonorable. Instead, Deerslayer approaches the Indian with peaceful intentions, which on the surface the Indian appears to accept. The idea that it was simply a ruse never crosses Deerslayer’s mind, and it is only through sheer luck that he looks up and notices that the Indian is about to shoot him. So, Deerslayer is forced to kill the Indian, even though he does not want to. Despite the fact that he gave the Indian many a fair chance and treated him with dignity and respect, the Indian resorted to devious methods, and the courteous manner in which Deerslayer handled the Indian was unbefitting of his status. It is inherent in his nature to be nothing more than a common savage. Overall, red gifts are corrupt and morally inferior to the generous and intellectually superior gifts of a white man.