As a dude writing in 1855, Longfellow was pretty much destined to show many of the gender prejudices that existed during his time (and still persist today). But instead of challenging these prejudices, Longfellow reinforced them by making them seem like a natural part of human existence. He did this by highlighting them in the relations of Native Americans. The general idea was that Native Americans lived a natural way of life, which thus made their gender roles seem natural too. At the end of the day though, in The Song of Hiawatha human beings decide who works in the home and who goes out to hunt, not nature.
Questions About Gender
- Do you think that The Song of Hiawatha is a sexist poem? Why or why not?
- Are Nokomis or Minnehaha strong female characters? Why or why not?
- Why do the male characters in this poem insult one another by comparing one another to women? What do they think is so bad about being a woman?
Chew on This
In The Song of Hiawatha, Longfellow does pretty well to present us with strong and interesting female characters, especially for someone writing in 1855.
Nice try, but the fact that Longfellow wrote in 1855 doesn't excuse the sexism that we can find in his writing.