English essay

Patrick Robinson
03/01/2012
English 106, professor Smith

Comparative Essay between Malaeska and Hobomok

Throughout this essay I will compare two stories Malaeska, The Indian Wife of the White Hunter and Hobomok. The main similarities these two novels share are that both stories describe the interaction and relationship between Native Americans and white colonists through a love story. Inboth novels the white men’s view toward the native reflected the reality of societies back in those days. Natives were treated as an inferior race; they were viewed as savages and therefore as part of an inferior segment in society.  On the other hand, the natives viewed colonists as intolerant human beings who had no respect towards the significant differences that existed between them. Despitethis issue, colonization forced natives and colonists to interact. This interaction is clearly exemplified in these two novels and taken to extreme situations where love, adaptation, equilibrium and resignation were the means to its resolution.  
 In the novel Maleaska, a Native American woman is married to a British man, Danforth, with whom they had a son called William. After her husband’sdeath, Malaeska felt the need to return to her roots since she felt out of her comfort zone living with whites without her husband. This was a very controversial decision because her son was very identified with the white culture and had a special bond with his grandfather. The need to become part of her culture again was indeed very strong, but at the same time, this meant having to separate Williamfrom his extended family and from what he felt was his home. On her way back home with her son, who was the most important person in her life, she encounters her father in law. He had followed them to rescue his grandson. William decides to go back home with his grandfather and Malaeska resigns to her only son who meant everything to her but whom she felt obliged to make him happy. Her deep sorrowwas recompensed with the search for happiness and comfort of her beloved son.
In the second novel, a native, Hobomok, marries a white woman who was deeply in love with a British man. She makes the decision of marrying Hobomok because she believed her lover had died and had no chances of being with him anymore. She gave birth to a son who became the reason of her life, even though she felt greatrespect towards her devout Indian spouse, who resulted in an admirable and dedicated father. While Hobomok was living one of the most special moments in his life, both as a husband and father, he encounters the British man who had been considered dead until then. He was looking for his beloved young girl. Hobomok tells him that he had married her but at the same time he realizes that he wastalking to his wife real love. Once he recongnizes this truth, he makes an altruistic decision of giving her the opportunity to live the rest of her life with the love of her life. He writes a note resigning for his love to her and his son for what he believes is her most desired dream. On the other hand, she does not completely understand his decision but has no other choice but accepting it since henever comes back.
 The two novels depict situations where the cultural differences that exists between these two groups vary according to the emotional moment the characters are living. At certain moments they become narrower and at others they broaden. Coincidently love is the motif for resignation in both novels. After facing resignation, adaptation is becomes easier. While reading theexperiences these characters lived we realize how harsh and unfair the life of the natives was throughout the beginning of this new and mixed society.
An interesting similarity between Sarah form “Hobomok” and Mary form “Malaeska” is the way they felt when they moved from the Americas to Europe. When Sarah is sent to Europe to study, the author spends a lot of time describing with specific details...