The Concept of Cultural Collision in Catharine Sedgwick's Hope Leslie
Cultural Collision
In Catharine Sedgwick’s novel, Hope Leslie, Magawisca is one of the Main female characters and she runs into many hardships in the book. Magawisca is the daughter of well known Indian chief Mononotto but is separated from her father and her tribe when they are all attacked. After Magawisca and her brother’s mother dies the children get sent to work at the home of the Fletchers an English family. Magawisca gets caught in the middle of two cultures when she is raised by an English family but knows of her original culture, Magawisca responds well and helps the reader understand how big the cultural gap is in the 1600s.
Magawisca’s tribe, the Pequots, are attacked by the English and when Magawisca, her brother Oneco and their mother escape they travel to a new city. When Magawisca and Oneco’s mother dies the two kids are sent to Mr. Fletchers home to be Indian servants. After living with the Fletcher family for a while Magawisca’s father, Mononotto, appears at the Fletchers abode. With the feeling that the Fletchers have captured his son and daughter, Mononotto kills all of the Fletchers but one much against Magawisca’s protest. Magawisca begs and pleads against her father’s actions but does no good, she wants to save what is considered her family for a short but meaningful amount of time but doesn’t want to go against her father’s will.
Magawisca is thrown into a very hard situation but handles everything calmly and maturely. She is stuck between two cultures that despise each other but she ends up with her tribe the Pequot’s for a long time. In a time of need Magawisca still helps the one remaining Fletcher child by risking her own limb to protect part of her “family”. Towards the end of the book Magawisca has taken both sides, the English and the Pequot’s and that pays off. When Magawisca is captured by the English the remaining Fletcher child puts his own safety in danger to help save Magawisca. Magawisca never broke down or really
In Catharine Sedgwick’s novel, Hope Leslie, Magawisca is one of the Main female characters and she runs into many hardships in the book. Magawisca is the daughter of well known Indian chief Mononotto but is separated from her father and her tribe when they are all attacked. After Magawisca and her brother’s mother dies the children get sent to work at the home of the Fletchers an English family. Magawisca gets caught in the middle of two cultures when she is raised by an English family but knows of her original culture, Magawisca responds well and helps the reader understand how big the cultural gap is in the 1600s.
Magawisca’s tribe, the Pequots, are attacked by the English and when Magawisca, her brother Oneco and their mother escape they travel to a new city. When Magawisca and Oneco’s mother dies the two kids are sent to Mr. Fletchers home to be Indian servants. After living with the Fletcher family for a while Magawisca’s father, Mononotto, appears at the Fletchers abode. With the feeling that the Fletchers have captured his son and daughter, Mononotto kills all of the Fletchers but one much against Magawisca’s protest. Magawisca begs and pleads against her father’s actions but does no good, she wants to save what is considered her family for a short but meaningful amount of time but doesn’t want to go against her father’s will.
Magawisca is thrown into a very hard situation but handles everything calmly and maturely. She is stuck between two cultures that despise each other but she ends up with her tribe the Pequot’s for a long time. In a time of need Magawisca still helps the one remaining Fletcher child by risking her own limb to protect part of her “family”. Towards the end of the book Magawisca has taken both sides, the English and the Pequot’s and that pays off. When Magawisca is captured by the English the remaining Fletcher child puts his own safety in danger to help save Magawisca. Magawisca never broke down or really