Little Big Man | Social Concerns & Themes

Little Big Man Social Concerns/Themes

Little Big Man contains much social comment and criticism. Most obviously, the novel champions the cause of the American Indian through its sympathetic treatment of the Cheyennes, as seen through the eyes of the narrator, Jack Crabb; and equally clearly, the novel satirizes the military campaigns against the Indians, through a brutally realistic depiction of the Washita massacre, and through the antiheroic treatment of the legend of George Armstrong Custer. There are other thematic concerns of social relevance as well, notably a democratic spirit of mockery of social pretense, and a satirical deflation of moral and religious hypocrisy. But the treatment of Custer and the tragic irony of the coming decline and defeat of the Cheyenne culture remain at center stage.

Indeed, despite the parody and satire for which the book is celebrated, there is a strong undercurrent of tragedy in this work. Not only is the passing...
(read more)