Little Big Man | Themes

Little Big Man Themes

Cheyenne Society versus White Society

Jack continually offers his perceptions of Cheyenne society versus White society. He understands why the Cheyenne are the way they are, and why Whites find the Cheyenne incomprehensible. The fundamental difference is that while growing up, the Cheyenne learn an entirely anachronistic set of values that stem from the Stone Age. Whites grow up with values that have developed over thousands of years and in a multitude of civilizations. The Whites are as equally incomprehensible to the Cheyenne because their behaviors simply do not make any sense to the Cheyenne. Old Lodge Skins figures out the major differences, and Jack sees the societies from both sides.

Jack does not make the judgment that one society is superior to the other, although he tends to function better as a Cheyenne than a White. The judgment is left to the reader to make. Is it better to live free with the possibility...
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