Essay Questions

How does the theme of love manifest itself in the novel Hobomok and Other Writings on Indians by Lydia Maria Francis Child?

The novel starts with Mary executing a love ritual in the forest. The primary purpose of performing this love ritual is to attract the man who will marry her. According to Mary, she wants to attract Charles Brown who is the man she truly loves. However, Hobomok appears instead of Charles Brown. He later confesses his love to her. Mary receives bad news that Charles Brown is dead and she feels very bad. Despite the death of Charles Brown, Mary continues to love him. She refuses to give in to advances of Hobomok who is taking advantage of the demise of Charles. It is later discovered that Charles did not die but was captured and imprisoned. When he is released, Mary gladly marries him without hesitation. Therefore, Mary demonstrates true love because she continued to love Charles even after being told that he is dead.

Why is Mary wandering away from the men in her life including her father?

Mary realizes that most men in the town of Salem have chauvinist arrogances. She finds it hard to live around them because of their intrusiveness. For instance, her father disapproves of her choices and she fails to understand why she cannot be left to live her life. She feels that her womanhood role is taken away from her. Hobomok is another male character who is forcing himself to Mary and she finds this disgusting because she is not ready to get married to him. To remain positive and work towards attaining her goals, she refuses to be dictated by religion or men and decides to chase for her true love.

Why is Mr. Oldham writing a letter to the church?

The Salem society is dictated by the church to strictly live according to the church doctrines. For instance, the church requires Mary to grow an unadulterated woman. The church also requires the people of Salem to live according to the set religious directives. However, Mary is one of the characters who disagree with the church's advice. Mr. Oldham writes a letter to the church notifying it that its coercion will soon result in revolt from the very people it is leading. The church itself is not clean because people can see controversies contradicting its teachings.