“The pale faces make themselves dogs to their women,” muttered the Indian, in his native language, “and when they want to eat, their warriors must lay aside the tomahawk to feed their laziness.”
Magua, in Last of the Mohicans; A Narrative of 1757, James Fenimore Cooper
Yes, I fully understand that in the author’s time any criticism of women was a quick, shorthand way of firmly establishing that the character was evil.
I think that makes it all the more significant that in our time Magua’s complaint is starting to look pretty reasonable. It is the near-complete male deference to women that, while still present today, has not aged well… making the evil Magua sound prescient.
– Robert the Wombat
Magua says…