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Letter 7
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Letters from an American Farmer, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Freedom and Government
Farming, Land, and Love of Nature
Emigration, Hard Work, and Success
Religion in America
Colonization, Atrocity, and Apathy
Summary
Analysis
The manners of Quakers, or Friends, are based on their famed simplicity. They dress and speak plainly, to the extent that if a native tried to speak more sophisticatedly, he’d be regarded as a “fop.” If a Quaker were to be seen wearing an especially nice coat on any day but “First Day” (Sunday), he would be mocked and regarded as a spendthrift. When one family imported a set of single-horse chairs, there was a great deal of gossip.
In this letter, James digs further into social behaviors on Nantucket, presumably to show Mr. F.B. a variety of expressions of American happiness. Simplicity was a major Quaker virtue because of the desire to promote humility and equality. James makes the interesting observation, however, that simplicity could become a self-righteous goal in its own right, and it wouldn’t necessarily stop people from judging others and spreading rumors about them.
Themes
In Nantucket, idleness is considered the worst sin. But an idle person is pitied rather than scolded, since idleness is regarded as synonymous with hunger. Even while visiting with friends or sailing to a fishing ground, people often carve, whittle, or find some other use for their hands.
Since James prizes hard work as a key to happiness and success, it makes sense that he admires Nantucket’s Quakers so much. For them, choosing to be idle makes no sense because it goes against a person’s best interest, and the community pitches in for a person who doesn’t work hard, assuming that such a person is unable to provide for themselves.
Themes
Because their husbands are at sea for so long, women must often provide for their families in the men’s absence, and they are generally quite good at this. They also spend a lot of time visiting friends while their husbands are away, but only after cleaning the house. Single young adults spend time talking about whaling voyages and travels abroad instead of playing cards or singing. Singing, dancing, and excess drinking are unheard of, so they make do with conversation and laughter. It’s no wonder they tend to marry early.
The combination of the seafaring lifestyle with Quaker restraint from pastimes like cards and dancing makes Nantucket’s social scene rather unusual. But James emphasizes that this doesn’t mean people on Nantucket have no fun; they have plenty of opportunities to be sociable and neighborly. These occasions help knit society together.
Themes
After marriage, however, Nantucket’s young people become more serious. The men go to sea and the women quickly learn to govern their homes, though this doesn’t mean the women are ungovernable. Men understand that they owe much of their success to their wives: the richest fisherman might have been supported by his wife’s sewing and school-teaching when he was first starting out. Over time, a wife might build on this foundation by forming crucial business connections for her husband, even in England.
Because the fishing trade takes men away from their homes for long periods of time, Nantucket’s women assume more household responsibilities that might have traditionally fallen to men. Though James seems to want to assure his readers that these women aren’t trying to usurp men’s places at home and in society, he generally seems admiring of the business ventures wives undertake to support their households.
Themes
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Besides managing their husband’s business, Nantucket wives undertake their own industry by spinning wool and flax, making plain clothing for each member of the family. There’s another custom that James finds much more surprising: Nantucket’s women take a dose of opium every morning. James finds it hard to understand that such an otherwise healthy, hardworking society would indulge in such a habit, but no society is perfect.
James probably refers to laudanum, a tincture of alcohol and opium that colonial Americans, lacking many medical options, often used to treat everyday ailments. Though many people would have seen opium use as a harmless home remedy, James is forward-thinking in his recognition of opium’s addictive properties.
Themes
Most people on Nantucket are descendants of the 27 original settlers, with others, of English descent, having moved over from the Massachusetts mainland. This means that everyone on the island is somehow distantly related; everyone calls each other “uncle,” “aunt,” or “cousin.” Anyone who stays on Nantucket for more than a few days is expected to adopt this custom, too, as a sign of friendship.
The custom of giving each other kinship-based nicknames suggests that Nantucket settlers saw themselves as engaging in a shared family effort to survive against difficult odds. People’s willingness to support struggling neighbors and welcome newcomers bears this out.
Themes
James thinks that certain trees could have thrived on Nantucket, but people are so absorbed in fishing that they haven’t put much effort into agriculture. Recreations don’t thrive here, either. Instead of spending their wealth on luxuries, people prefer to put money back into their businesses, into hospitality, food, and wine. People enjoy walking and talking together, rough sports like stone-heaving, or riding a horse if they have one. Once, when James had the pleasure of taking a young Quaker lady on a date, he had never seen such good humor mixed with modesty before. He doubts that a European could entertain himself so well without resorting to cards and dancing.
James’s impression of Nantucket’s people is that they know what they like and aren’t concerned about conforming to outside expectations—whether about what to plant on their island or how to spend their free time. He is especially struck by people’s ability to find pleasure in simple things like company and the outdoors, hinting that when people don’t have high-society hobbies at their disposal, they generally learn to be content with plainer pursuits, allowing their authentic character to shine through.
Themes
James describes taking a ride from Sherborn to the easternmost part of the island. He’d been directed to a particular fishermen’s shelter on the shore; it had been built on the ruins of an early settler’s hut. A single family lived in this remote spot. James was enchanted by the roar and motion of the sea and instantly fell into pleasant reflections. He ponders how anyone can behold the ocean without being moved by its immense power, beauty, and danger.
Just as James can lose himself in observations and reflections around his Pennsylvania farm, he has no trouble finding similar food for thought in the drama of the ocean, suggesting that living close to the beauty of nature—no matter the specific habitat—has a healthy influence on human souls.
Themes
He enjoyed meeting the family’s many healthy, hardy children, some of whom were already brave enough to wade into the sea, the others making little wooden boats. The family subsisted on fish and dumplings, and their clothes were hand-woven by the mother and daughters. The people of Nantucket own few books, usually only the Bible and some schoolbooks in English and Nattic. Occasionally he sees volumes by Hudibras and Josephus and is surprised how much mere fishermen can enjoy them.
As James portrays them, Nantucket’s people live simply, needing little and sticking close to their natural environment and local culture. Interestingly, books in Natick are commonplace—in fact, the historical record shows that America’s first published Bible was an Algonquian translation. Hudibras was a satirical poem published by Samuel Butler in the late 1600s, and Josephus was an ancient Jewish historian. This variety of reading material suggests that even though they are isolated and have limited formal education, Nantucket’s people are interested in the world beyond their shores.
Themes
Travelers newly returned from Italy would doubt that such a remote, unremarkable place as Nantucket could be worth visiting. But, as he’s never been to Europe, James contents himself with his native country. America might not boast ancient wonders, but its woods contain beauty that surpasses art. Americans aren’t oppressed by government or religion, and generally, only the idle are truly poor. And, unlike in Europe, there’s no reason to remain unemployed in America, where there is boundless opportunity.
Recall that an earlier letter argued that even though America lacks Europe’s boasted cultural artifacts, it contains its own variety of valuable treasures. Now that he’s spent so much time describing the people and customs of Nantucket, James returns to that subject here, suggesting that America isn’t just beautiful, but offers unique opportunities for flourishing to those who are willing to seek them out.
Themes
