Dances with Wolves
Dances With Wolves Chapter Summary, Chapter 1
The first chapter introduces the protagonist of the story, Lieutenant Dunbar, a soldier who is posted to the frontier. The time is during the American Civil War. Dunbar is at Fort Hays, but talks to Major Fambrough about being posted on the prairie. Major Fambrough, who appears as a little insane, agrees and sends him to Fort Sedgewick. He goes there with a peasant called Timmons. In the meantime, the same fort is being abandoned by Captain Cargill, who is waiting for a wagon with his eighteen out of an original fifty-eight man, while the others mostly deserted or are dead.
Interpretation/stylistic devices subchapter 1
p.1, l.4 ``rolling ocean of grass'' is surely a metaphore, as grass can not be a ``rolling ocean''. As you probably know, the ocean is an archetypal symbol of life, thus throwing a certain light on the prairie.
Timmons spits into the grass - this shows his disrespect for nature, which Dunbar does not like at all (``Dunbar didn't say anything, but Timmon's incessant spittingmade him recoil inwardly.'').
The fact that Major Fambrough is calling himself ``king'' refers to the feudal system. Combined with the insanity of the major, this surely expresses criticism on this system. Another criticism is that the American society has been founded as to escape these feudal structures in Europe. But once again the American Dream has failed, the army uses exactly the same structures.
Another interesting scene in this context is that Major Fambrough says ``My seal will guarantee your safe conduct through one hundred and fifty miles of heathen territory''. This shows the ignorance of Major Fambrough or the army in general towards other cultures and religions. subchapter 3
In the beginning of this subchapter, we get to know about another loose tooth that Captain Cargill has. Thus, not even knowing anything about him, we can conclude that he loses his strength and his healthiness (note how teeth are used in
The first chapter introduces the protagonist of the story, Lieutenant Dunbar, a soldier who is posted to the frontier. The time is during the American Civil War. Dunbar is at Fort Hays, but talks to Major Fambrough about being posted on the prairie. Major Fambrough, who appears as a little insane, agrees and sends him to Fort Sedgewick. He goes there with a peasant called Timmons. In the meantime, the same fort is being abandoned by Captain Cargill, who is waiting for a wagon with his eighteen out of an original fifty-eight man, while the others mostly deserted or are dead.
Interpretation/stylistic devices subchapter 1
p.1, l.4 ``rolling ocean of grass'' is surely a metaphore, as grass can not be a ``rolling ocean''. As you probably know, the ocean is an archetypal symbol of life, thus throwing a certain light on the prairie.
Timmons spits into the grass - this shows his disrespect for nature, which Dunbar does not like at all (``Dunbar didn't say anything, but Timmon's incessant spittingmade him recoil inwardly.'').
The fact that Major Fambrough is calling himself ``king'' refers to the feudal system. Combined with the insanity of the major, this surely expresses criticism on this system. Another criticism is that the American society has been founded as to escape these feudal structures in Europe. But once again the American Dream has failed, the army uses exactly the same structures.
Another interesting scene in this context is that Major Fambrough says ``My seal will guarantee your safe conduct through one hundred and fifty miles of heathen territory''. This shows the ignorance of Major Fambrough or the army in general towards other cultures and religions. subchapter 3
In the beginning of this subchapter, we get to know about another loose tooth that Captain Cargill has. Thus, not even knowing anything about him, we can conclude that he loses his strength and his healthiness (note how teeth are used in