Letters from an American Farmer: Letter 8 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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.