Massacre at Fall Creek

Essay by EssaySwap ContributorHigh School, 11th grade February 2008

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Jessaym West, author of the historical fiction novel The Massacre at Fall Creek, portrayed the compelling story of the lives of American settlers intertwined with the existence of a neighboring peaceful Native American Tribe. Creating the scenario of five white men on trial for the murder of several helpless Indians, she embraces the crossing emotions and events the two races confront with one another in the recreation of how we managed to live with Native Americans many years ago. A mind boggling saga mixing an amount of both love and hate, a different type of insight about the Native Americans and how they lived is bound to be found by the end of West's epic tragedy.

West concentrates her main theme on American settlers and a neighboring Seneca tribe as they struggle to co-exist with one another. After five white men are found accused for the murder of several innocent Indians, including women and children, Fall Creek is then split in two as one half sees the incident as a barbaric crime, while the other half sees absolutely nothing wrong with the killings.

In any case, the men would be brought to justice for the first time in history for killing Native Americans. Judge Amos had a difficult time keeping his stance during the trial because of the emotional affect the situation had on him - the thought of his own people brutally killing peaceful natives like a bunch of savages. On the opposition, Mr. Benson saw them as inferior, nothing more than animals that had no better reason than to be wiped clean from the area. This thrust through the novel triggers numerous other side themes, which includes even a love and revenge story on their own, which both still revolve around West's main theme of...