The Light in the Forest (Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Conrad Richter
- First Published: 1953
- Type of Work: Novel
- Genres: Long fiction, Bildungsroman, Historical fiction
- Subjects: Maturation or coming of age, Culture, Values, Family or family life, Tradition, Adolescence, Race, Nature, Native Americans or American Indians, Ethnic relations, Eighteenth century
- Locales: Ohio, Pennsylvania
In The Light in the Forest, Richter presents the Indians’ point of view toward the settlement of the wilderness, putting an unusual twist on the traditional captivity tale: He tells the story of a white boy who resents being returned to his natural parents. John Butler was only four years old when Delaware Indians captured him during a raid on his father's farm in western Pennsylvania. Adopted by a tribal chief and renamed True Son, he lived for more than a decade in the Ohio wilderness until Colonel Bouquet's treaty with the Delaware Indians called for the repatriation of all...
[The entire page is 858 words long]
See Also:
- - For teachers, the The Light in the Forest Lesson Plan.
- - The Light in the Forest summary and study guide in the quickNotes.
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