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
James must leave his house and abandon his farm. But where can he go? The polar regions would match his “melancholy” mood. But no matter where he goes, he cannot forget the terrible things he’s witnessed, so he can never be happy. For that matter, he doesn’t believe that the current generation will ever be happy again. The word “misery” has taken on new meaning for him. When he considers all the human miseries with which he’s now connected, he feels as if he’ll lose his reason.
This final letter opens with a sudden shift in James’s mood. Recall how rapturously James described his land and his life as a farmer in the first few letters; now, he sounds hopeless, as though he’s experienced something traumatic. It’s worth noting that Crèvecoeur had a rough time during the Revolutionary War as a sympathizer with England, so that experience saturates this letter.
Themes
James broadly describes his settlement. To the west is a chain of mountains, to the east a thinly inhabited area. Neighbors live at a considerable distance from one another. “Our dreadful enemy” can emerge from the western mountains at any time, and it now seems that they intend to destroy the whole frontier, starting from Lake Champlain. These raids usually happen in the middle of the night, though farmers fear them as they go to their fields in midday. The slightest noise frightens a family as they sit down to a meal, and their sleep is disrupted by imagined fears. James passes suspenseful hours at the door, ready to die, while his family hides in the cellar. He begs Mr. F.B. to sympathize with him.
It’s not really obvious who James regards as the “enemy” here. Crèvecoeur, an American citizen writing for a largely European audience, probably wrote ambiguously on purpose, so as not to alienate his audience or get himself into hotter water than he already had (imprisoned at one point as an alleged spy for the British). But the enemy’s identity doesn’t matter much: James’s point is that the war encroaches terrifyingly on the lives of civilian frontiersmen and their families.
Themes
James laments that people go so easily from loving to hating once another. As a peace-lover, he doesn’t know what to do. He respects America’s “ancient connexion” with England, yet he fears innovations that his own countrymen now embrace. He regrets “this unfortunate revolution.” If he expresses loyalty to “the mother country,” he is regarded as a traitor; yet, if he sides with his countrymen, he opposes “our ancient masters.” He is troubled by both extremes.
Throughout the letters, James has celebrated the neighborly kindness and support that most Americans enjoy with each other; now that the colonies are at war, however, political loyalties pit neighbors against neighbors. This puts someone like James, who genuinely loves aspects of both sides, in a very difficult position.
Themes
James doesn’t know much about the dispute that sparked the revolution. Both sides have written a lot about it, but who is wise enough to judge between the different accounts? No matter what, the innocent always suffer at the hands of a few, shedding blood for the sake of “great leaders.”
James’s outlook on the revolution is remarkably frank—he acknowledges that partisan accounts aren’t objective and that the average American struggles to discern what’s true. What’s more, he suspects that the conflict doesn’t benefit the average American much, instead causing people to suffer for no clear purpose.
Themes
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James is not a learned man, and he can only follow his sentiment and feeling. How can he do that when “Reason” has been replaced by bloodshed? He does not want to renounce the principles he was raised to believe and the nation (Britain) he has always respected. Yet he grew up in America, and how can he fight against it? The idea is horrible to him.
Earlier in the letters, James described himself as uneducated in order to suggest that even an American farmer has something to say. Here, he returns to that tactic in order to suggest that the average American is unfairly torn between two extremes—pressured to denounce either their homeland or their British heritage.
Themes
James sees how much suffering the aggressors have caused. Families have been ruined, children have been orphaned, and much blood has been shed. But he wonders what a man like him can really do about it, when there’s so much hostility on both sides of the conflict. Even if a man tries to act according to his principles, he will likely be punished for it, while those who act according to self-preservation won’t be blamed as harshly. Since nobody cares what happens to the people of the frontier, then, it seems best to act in self-interest.
Again, it’s not entirely clear who James regards as the aggressors, but it’s a fair guess that he’s referring to those who are actively waging war, whether on the British or American side. He observes that fighting to protect oneself is understood and respected, whereas holding the “wrong” views about the war isn’t. But he feels that nobody is fighting for the ordinary Americans of the frontier, so he doesn’t have the luxury of fighting for principle and must defend his family above all.
Themes
The disinterested man who’s not in danger has the luxury of declaring who’s right and wrong in this conflict. But if such a man came and lived with James’s family for a month, and had to spend sleepless nights protecting his wife and children with his musket, then “the man will […] get the better of the citizen.” Abstract political opinions will vanish in the face of real suffering.
Previously, James argued that Americans are happy because, in part, they are free to live according to their beliefs. So it’s interesting—and powerful—that now, he presents principles as collapsing in favor of simple survival. Being an American citizen is more complicated in war, then, than in peacetime.
Themes
Indeed, if even the king were to endure what the frontiersmen endure, he would quickly be reduced to the position of a fearful father. Then his royal policies would also be influenced by “Nature, that great parent.” In light of this, does it make sense that James, to be considered a faithful subject, must impartially say that his family should suffer for the good of Britain?
James suggests that natural instincts, like a parent’s desire to protect their children, are more powerful than any political beliefs. In other words, even royal prerogative wouldn’t hold up next to human suffering. It’s senseless, then, to ask ordinary people to sacrifice for principle.
Themes
James passionately asks if Mr. F.B. understands how bad his family’s situation is. If they stay here, they will ultimately die; if they decide to leave, there’s nowhere to go—everyone’s houses are filled with refugees. If they defend themselves, they’ll be regarded as rebels; yet shouldn’t passivity be regarded as rebellion against Nature? Even animals defend themselves when threatened. Why, then, should reason stifle human instinct?
Through James, Crèvecoeur makes a heartfelt appeal to readers to sympathize with the plight of ordinary Americans—much as he previously appealed to them to recognize American blessings. In light of the author’s family’s own suffering during the war, he asks distant readers to understand that when people are in danger, they simply do what they have to do to survive and protect their loved ones.
Themes
Literary Devices
When James reflects on all this, he quickly grows bitter and concludes that life is meaningless. He is only distracted from such thoughts when he remembers his wife and children. Because of them, self-preservation is the only thing that makes sense. He wishes he could ensure their wellbeing without harming anyone else. If necessary, he would “revert into a state […] nearer to that of nature” and forget about allegiance to a country.
James is referred to elsewhere as the “farmer of feelings” because he describes such strong emotions for his family and farm; the feelings are just as evident here, if not more so, when he’s faced with abandoning his beloved land for his family’s sake. Even his loyalty to America is negotiable when their lives are at stake.
Themes
Literary Devices
James isn’t trained for anything besides farming his land, and he’s never wanted anything except to live quietly with his family and teach his children to provide for themselves in their turn. But now, after almost 20 years of labor, his family must abandon everything—a poor reward for virtue. The only alternative he sees is to flee to a distant Indian village, where they will subsist on very little, learn to hunt, and speak a different language. His only hesitation is that, often, young children who live among Indians refuse to leave their adoptive culture behind when they are older. Indian life must be superior to European in some respects, or it wouldn’t be attractive to so many people. So, James is determined to join the village or die trying.
James’s love for the simplicity and self-sufficiency of farming life has been evident throughout the letters. Being a farmer was inextricable from being an American; it’s what allowed him to live freely and pass the same lifestyle down to his children. So, if the war forces him to give up being a farmer, he must essentially give up being an American, too—at least in his lifestyle. This is clear from his radical solution of starting over in an Indian village—a place where he can’t remain a farmer or expect that his children will do so one day.
Themes
James assumes that this is his final letter and that, if he flees, he won’t be able to repossess his property after the war. But F.B. shouldn’t mistake him for a stoic—he feels keen regret at the prospect of abandoning the house and lands he built with his own hands, and heartache at the thought that his children might suffer. At the same time, he trusts that the Indians will be kind; only vengeance motivates them to violence, unlike Europeans, who will shed blood “for sixpence per day.” He has communicated with a tribal chief who has promised that there will be plenty of land and food for them; however, James is afraid to share this news with his wife, in case she refuses to follow him there.
It's uncertain precisely when each letter was written, so readers can only guess how the letters align with Crèvecoeur’s biography; however, James’s fear of losing his land forever matches Crevecoeur’s experience of losing his farm, Pine Hill, in the course of the war. Meanwhile, James holds an optimistic view of life in the Indian village. Especially with evidence of bloodshed all around him (including that committed by mercenaries, which he alludes to with “sixpence per day”), he believes that Indians are morally superior to Europeans, at least where violence is concerned.
Themes
James knows that F.B. isn’t familiar with the geography, but he can reach the village by traveling overland for 23 miles and by water the rest of the way. He plans to sell most of their belongings to his father-in-law and to free the people he’s enslaved, encouraging them to go and make their own livings. He will also write a letter to an acquaintance making it clear that he isn’t leaving “to join the incendiaries on our frontiers.”
The trip to the village is a fairly significant journey, speaking to James’s deep familiarity with the surrounding country. It’s also notable that it’s only under extreme duress that James is willing to take the step of freeing his enslaved people, hinting at the hypocrisy beneath his past moral indignation over slavery. James is more concerned about protecting his reputation by proving he’s not a revolutionary.
Themes
James is so familiar with Indian lifestyles and hospitality (which is greater than many Europeans’) that he’s not worried about living among them. After arriving in the village, he will build his own wigwam on the land the village allots to him. He also hopes that he and his family will be “adopted” into the village soon after their arrival and receive new names. He only worries that his youngest children will be so susceptible to the “charm of an Indian education” that they will reject their family’s customs. To keep them from becoming completely “wild,” therefore, James will teach them to farm.
Throughout the letters, James has shown respect and even admiration for aspects of Native American life. His willingness to be assimilated into the Indian village further illustrates this open-mindedness; yet, at the same time, his tolerance has limits. He regards Indian life as fundamentally “wild” or uncivilized, the opposite of the farming life he has championed throughout; so, he must make an intentional effort to ensure his children become farmers, not Indians.
Themes
James can keep himself busy with hunting, but without wool and flax, what will his wife do? He figures she will have to learn to cook Indian dishes of corn and squash, to smoke meat, and to adopt her neighbors’ customs. He nevertheless hopes that his wife and daughters won’t adopt native paint and hairstyles. His wife is experienced in giving inoculations, so James hopes her skill will win esteem for her in the village.
James recognizes that farming life doesn’t transfer perfectly to Indian village life and is willing for his family to learn new ways. Again, though, he doesn’t want his family to completely assimilate into such a different culture. Inoculations were relatively new and still controversial at this time, so James’s and his wife’s familiarity with the practice (probably for smallpox) is striking, a subtle marker that they’re not ignorant of the wider world.
Themes
As for the family’s religious beliefs, they won’t change much, because their practices are already so simple. James will regularly read and explain a section of the decalogue (the Ten Commandments), just as he’s always done.
This passage is a nod to Crèvecoeur’s deism—limiting religious instruction to the Ten Commandments indicates that James isn’t too concerned about a larger structure of distinctively Christian beliefs.
Themes
Six acres of land will be plenty for James to grow the family’s crops; he will share produce with the Indians and try to encourage them to do more farming instead of relying on hunting so much. He also hopes to influence the villagers to handle “those pests of the continent,” the Indian-traders, with greater savvy. As much as he respects Indians, though, he doesn’t want his daughter to marry one of them, since he sees intermarriage as “disagreeable […] to Nature’s intentions.”
Even after he’s lost his farm, James expects farming to hold an important role in his life and will even continue to commend that life as a superior one. This passage is a good illustration of James’s conflicted attitude about his indigenous neighbors. He denounces the underhanded ways of many white people who make a living by trading unfairly with Indians, yet at the same time, he resists the idea of interracial marriage as unnatural.
Themes
Despite the great change in his family’s lifestyle, James thinks it is worth it for the peace they will once again enjoy. He is confident his plan can succeed. Though he still fears “Indian education,” he figures it is not more dangerous than “the education of the times,” and he trusts that hard work will prevent its excesses. He will keep a careful account of his sons’ labors so that, when peace returns, he can give them the property they’ve earned by their work. Otherwise, they might not be motivated enough. He will encourage them to hunt and fish well enough to keep up with their Indian friends, but not to count this a great accomplishment.
Again, preserving his family’s wellbeing is more important to James than remaining in American society, if the latter means exposing his family to violence. Foreign (and, in his mind, inferior) cultural influences are worth the risk. Still, it’s clear that James’s ultimate hope is for his children, at least, to have the chance to someday return to the farming life he’s dreamed of for them.
Themes
James’s children may not be educated in American schools, but they will learn sobriety and modesty from the Indian villagers. They will no longer have to put up with constant worry and fear. They might not be able to learn a profession, but they will learn how to support themselves on the land. If they aren’t raised in a specific church, at least James will have taught them “that primary worship which is the foundation of all others.” After all, in his opinion, God doesn’t reside in a particular church or community, and it’s most important to know God as “the Father of all men” who just wants us to make each another happy.
James reiterates some of the trade-offs of giving up farming and raising his family in an Indian village. Though living in the village inevitably means giving up some of the hallmarks of a “civilized” American life—like formal schooling, learning a trade, and attending church— James’s children can still learn to be hardworking, ethical people who live off the land. Crèvecoeur’s deism is evident once again, as James commends a fairly generic faith in which God, a benevolent father, expects people to be kind to each other but not necessarily to adhere to human institutions or religious structures.
Themes
James grants that his dreams of this possible future might be brighter than reality. Nevertheless, he hopes that their isolation will serve to draw the family closer together; and he would rather his children learn to thrive in the woods than have to become soldiers. In the village, they will be free from politics. And James will be able to contemplate Nature to his heart’s content.
James puts the best spin that he can on the devastating possibility of fleeing his farm. Arguably, it’s a romantic spin, as James pictures village life as totally apolitical, giving him even more leisure to wander in nature and reflect. This suggests that James has a pretty reductive idea of what Native American life is like.
Themes
James prays that if the Supreme Being cares about the events in individual people’s lives, He will bless his family’s life and give James the strength to guide his wife and children through the coming trials. He also prays for peace in America and that the fruits of Americans’ labors won’t be lost.
Even though James has spent much of this letter seeking to distance himself from America, knowing he might soon give it up, he clearly still treasures his American identity and hopes that the best of American life might somehow outlast the present conflict.
Themes
James tells F.B. that the frankness of his letters must be convincing evidence of their true friendship. He’s sure that F.B. sympathizes and mourns with him in this oppression. James’s own sufferings look small when he considers what has befallen America as a whole.
The letters conclude on a somber note, as James does not seem to hold out much hope that America will survive the war with Britain, at least not in the form he’s known and loved. While the American Revolution turned out much differently than James expects, the pessimistic tone matches Crèvecoeur’s difficult fortunes, as he never did fully regain the happiness he enjoyed as an American farmer before the war.
Themes
