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 best compliment one could pay to a ruler is that the ruler is primarily concerned about people’s happiness and about reforming abuses. But, judging from the sheer numbers of emigrants who continue to arrive in America from Europe, the work of reform must be extremely difficult. It seems like America is “providentially intended” to receive the world’s oppressed peoples.
In this letter, James shifts his focus somewhat from his own experiences as a farmer to a detailed look at a very different part of America. He begins by reflecting that many Europeans seem to live in exploitative situations that are unlikely to improve, and that America appears to be designed as a safe harbor for such people.
Themes
James observes that it’s easy to read about America’s geography, history, and politics, but books can’t convey the spirit of the American people and the way they’ve built happy, prosperous lives for themselves. After all, few of those books’ writers have actually lived or traveled extensively in America. And since James himself is not equipped to lead his reader through the whole of America, instead he will focus on a specific part. He chooses a rather unlikely spot—one that’s small and barren, yet filled with industrious and happy inhabitants. He finds this place especially remarkable because its people have produced so much in such an unpromising environment. That place is the island of Nantucket.
James argues that reading travel books isn’t an adequate way to understand America. In fact, even he can’t convey everything his readers should know about America. But by focusing on a very specific part of the country instead of offering broad observations, he can capture some of the characteristics he treasures most about America—namely, the spirit of determination and hard work that have enabled Americans to become prosperous and happy.
Themes
James doesn’t want to explore Nantucket’s whole history, but to consider how its people started with nothing and arrived at such prosperity. Unlike other settlements, it did not have a violent beginning, and there was nothing special about its first settlers, except that they lived under a humane and undemanding government.
James intends to focus on what has allowed the people of Nantucket to become successful. Similar to his study of Andrew the Hebridean, James’s study of Nantucket’s settlers emphasizes ordinariness, not uniqueness. And, as ever, James points to freedom from excessive government as a key factor for success.
Themes
Literary Devices
Nantucket is sandy, boasts only about 23,000 acres, lacks stones, timber, or meadows, and yet it has a thriving town, a busy seaport, plenty of livestock, and even some wealthy citizens. Why did people leave behind a fruitful continent (Europe) in order to settle in a place so lacking in natural advantages? They didn’t receive any special privileges or royal charters to help them get started. Their success, rather, owes everything to their freedom, hard work, and perseverance. It’s an example of what happens when humanity is allowed to work unimpeded and then to enjoy the fruits of their own labor in peace.
James’s point here is that Nantucket isn’t an obvious place for emigrants seeking a better life to settle and thrive. It’s small, its soil isn’t very good, and it lacks many natural resources. There’s no other explanation for its people’s success than their own determination and industry. And, as James seldom fails to point out, that success wasn’t hindered by an oppressive government demanding an exorbitant share of its people’s earnings.
Themes
Literary Devices
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Nantucket is located about 80 miles from Boston. Its only town is called Sherborn, which contains about 530 plain-looking houses. It contains Quaker and Presbyterian houses of worship, a marketplace, and a courthouse; the island’s ground is uneven, and there are plenty of swamps, peat bogs, and ponds. When James first landed on Nantucket, he was immediately struck by the foul-smelling whale oil because of the storehouses near the wharfs. However, the massive wharfs and hundreds of sailing vessels immediately give an impression of prosperity, too.
James describes what he witnessed during his visit to Nantucket. Its damp environment and unsavory smells don’t seem very promising, and yet Nantucket’s people are clearly thriving socially and commercially. By noting those features that seem less desirable, James builds some suspense for readers wondering how the island reached its present prosperity.
Themes
Sherborn doesn’t have many gardens or fertile fields because the land is so sandy; however, by fertilizing the soil with cow manure, people have been able to raise limited crops, and by a similar method, they go to great pains to maintain an enclosed meadow near the harbor.
Nantucket clearly isn’t an ideal place for farming, so in that respect, it’s an unlikely subject for farmer James. Yet because of his own love of agriculture, James takes special note of islanders’ ingenuity in developing a small amount of fertile land.
Themes
Nantucket was patented in 1671 by a group of 27 proprietors from New York, but the land was so poor that they didn’t bother dividing it among themselves and instead established a harbor, with an eye toward becoming fishermen. They claimed small lots in the town and agreed to hold the rest of the land in common, where each man could graze an allotted number of sheep; in areas where grass could be grown, they could raise comparable numbers of cows and horses.
James’s history is a little bit off, as European settlement of Nantucket began more than a decade earlier than this; however, the earliest settlers’ inclination toward fishing rather than farming is accurate, and it set the direction for the island’s later development.
Themes
A naturalist wouldn’t find Nantucket very interesting, as it mostly contains various scrubby grasses and salt- and freshwater ponds filled with fish. The people of Nantucket love to fish. The western part of the island has a harbor called Mardiket; three creeks containing bitter-tasting eels flow into it. The eastern part of the island has a nice patch of relatively even ground with decent soil, known as the common plantation; each man is responsible for maintaining his own subdivision within it. Five hundred cows graze there daily, herded by the town shepherd. Most of Nantucket’s people aren’t farmers, however; they’re fishermen who only keep a little livestock.
James gives some further geographical features of Nantucket. Sometimes his choice of detail (like the bitter eels) relies more or less on what he personally finds interesting. But the overall emphasis shows that Nantucket is indeed inhospitable for farming, even though it can sustain enough livestock to keep the community fed. To survive here, Nantucket’s settlers needed to find prosperity through other means.
Themes
James discusses some of Nantucket’s other notable landmarks and structures, among them Sandy Point. Not much grows on this arm of land, but it’s a prime spot for catching porpoise or sharks. There’s also an island west of Nantucket called Tuckernut, where cattle are driven to graze in spring. Nantucket’s summer climate is pleasantly mild because of the sea breezes, but in winter, the island is buffeted by the northwest wind, although the snow isn’t as deep as it is on the mainland.
James continues with his geographical description of Nantucket and nearby islands. Just as James has focused elsewhere on the shaping influence of, say, farmland or forest on the people who live there, so the island’s remoteness, limited resources, and sometimes harsh climate shape the people who live on Nantucket.
Themes
South of Nantucket lie shoals, dangerous to mariners but providing a natural barrier for the island. From the shoals come most of the fish that Nantucket’s people eat. The same was true for the island’s “aborigines,” whose descendants now live in houses by Miacomet pond, in the southern part of the island. James calls them industrious, “harmless,” and expert seafarers. They settled on Nantucket to escape warfare on the mainland.
Nantucket’s indigenous people were called the Wampanoag. By the time this book was written, most of the Wampanoag living on Nantucket had died out from disease. The warfare James alludes to is likely King Philip’s War, a late-17th-century conflict between white colonists, mainland Wampanoag, and other indigenous groups that allied themselves with one side or the other.
Themes
Before discussing the lifestyle of Nantucket’s current population further, James thinks it’s important to give more of the history of the island’s native people—especially since these people “are hastening towards a total annihilation.” Unlike in many provinces, James says, the native people weren’t victims of fraud or violence; actually, Nantucket’s Quakers treated them as brothers. Before that, they probably came from the Massachusetts coast, since they speak “Nattic.” In any case, the island’s original inhabitants divided into eastern and western groups that were prone to perpetual feuding, to the point that they risked mutual extermination if they didn’t find a solution. So they divided the island into western and eastern halves and both groups agreed to stick to their respective half.
James is fairly aware of the native people among whom he lives, so it’s not surprising that he devotes space in his letter to giving the history of Nantucket’s indigenous residents. He registers that this particular group is sadly dying out, and that quite often, Native Americans have fallen victim to unscrupulous colonists. Still, James’s awareness of these facts doesn’t extend to questioning whether white colonization of Nantucket is a good thing its native people or not. “Nattic” may refer to “Natick,” a branch of the Algonquian language.
Themes
But worse was to come. When Europeans arrived on Nantucket, they brought smallpox, killing large numbers of the native people. Many others succumbed to alcohol abuse. They seem to be doomed to disappear as a people. Those who survive are devout Christians and live a peaceful life focused on seafaring. James lists dozens of Indian tribes that once filled New England and the Cape Cod peninsula, and famous chiefs—all of these tribes and lineages have died off, often through war with the Europeans, or have faded into obscurity.
Here, James specifically acknowledges some of the atrocities that befell native peoples in colonial America, including exposure to previously unknown diseases and alcohol, or through violence between colonists and indigenous people. Again, though James regards these events as regrettable, he also notably regards them as if they’re fated—not as something that could or should have been avoided.
Themes
James returns from this digression to discuss the law in Nantucket. He says that coercive measures are seldom required, and that the government has no flashy dignitaries or showy pageantry. People mind their own business and live at peace with their neighbors. How is this possible? James says the answer is that idleness and poverty, which are the causes of many crimes, are unknown in Nantucket. People are very busy making a living, and they know that they’ll either succeed or be helped by a neighbor if they fail, so ill-gotten gain doesn’t appeal to them. The island’s poor soil demands hard labor, so there just isn’t a lot of spare time to get into trouble.
James returns to a favorite theme—his preference for simple, unobtrusive forms of government. According to him, low-profile government allows people to live as they please and thus to thrive. Poverty, a factor in much crime, scarcely exists on Nantucket, not just because people work hard, but because they’re prepared to look out for one another and help those who are struggling. Like other environments, Nantucket shapes the kind of industrious, self-sustaining people who tend to thrive here; though James doesn’t say so directly, people who can’t succeed on Nantucket presumably get weeded out in one way or another.
Themes
Luxurious customs couldn’t flourish here and would ruin everything. As things stand, people on Nantucket live in remarkable equality. Even though their differing success at sea and in farming leads to some disparities in fortune, all continue to live a “simple, useful, and unadorned” lifestyle, and differences don’t lead to jealousy that might otherwise provoke crime. The wide sea surrounding Nantucket offers the same opportunities to everyone.
James seems to regard Nantucket as America in microcosm, in the sense that people are focused on hard work, contentment with what they have, and avoiding the kinds of class divisions common in European societies. Much as Pennsylvania’s farmland offers scope for success to the determined farmer, the Atlantic offers equivalent opportunities to those willing to make their living on the sea.
Themes
