While discovering the west, pioneers encountered difficulties which authors then used in their stories leading to the idea of the frontiersman. We're still learning whether or not the many myths were insight into the reality or merely an idea of how frontiersman and the West are portrayed. Many of these myths or ideas are what aided in the understanding of American history.
In the later half of the nineteenth century, the "mythic frontiersman" commonly was described as full of hope, righteous, and uncorrupt by social order. This kind of frontiersman is referred to as the American Adam. The 'American Adam' frontiersman can be found in Mark Twain's novel, Huckleberry Finn. At the end of the book, according to The Enduring Vision, "Huck rejects …show more content…
Instead, the myths idealized life on the frontier. Many authors used descriptive details in their stories to make the west seem appealing to the American people in pursuit of the American Dream. The myths of the frontier made the Great Plains look like a land that was full of opportunity. An illustration of this idea is the dime novel, Young Wild West written by An Old Scout. This novel was about an eighteen-year-old boy who traveled all over the western frontier looking for adventures. Young Wild West, no matter the issue, always saved the day. Americans have a fondness for the frontier myth because of the belief in economic opportunity. There was also something about the image of a man plunging into the wilderness on his own and defending himself against the unknown dangers in the new world that many Americans found fascinating and mysterious. Additionally, the Plains offered all peoples a fresh start in …show more content…
For example, many families lived on the edge of starvation. Most families had many members to help farm the land, but during poor crop years there was not enough food to feed the whole family. This caused many deaths in the frontier. Diseases and accidents were a common occurrence in the West and with little to no doctors, many lives were lost.For instance, if an individual caught yellow fever, there was no way to help them and they ended up losing their life. Also, if a farmer got his arm torn off in a farming machine, there were no doctors around to stop the bleeding and stitch it
In the later half of the nineteenth century, the "mythic frontiersman" commonly was described as full of hope, righteous, and uncorrupt by social order. This kind of frontiersman is referred to as the American Adam. The 'American Adam' frontiersman can be found in Mark Twain's novel, Huckleberry Finn. At the end of the book, according to The Enduring Vision, "Huck rejects …show more content…
Instead, the myths idealized life on the frontier. Many authors used descriptive details in their stories to make the west seem appealing to the American people in pursuit of the American Dream. The myths of the frontier made the Great Plains look like a land that was full of opportunity. An illustration of this idea is the dime novel, Young Wild West written by An Old Scout. This novel was about an eighteen-year-old boy who traveled all over the western frontier looking for adventures. Young Wild West, no matter the issue, always saved the day. Americans have a fondness for the frontier myth because of the belief in economic opportunity. There was also something about the image of a man plunging into the wilderness on his own and defending himself against the unknown dangers in the new world that many Americans found fascinating and mysterious. Additionally, the Plains offered all peoples a fresh start in …show more content…
For example, many families lived on the edge of starvation. Most families had many members to help farm the land, but during poor crop years there was not enough food to feed the whole family. This caused many deaths in the frontier. Diseases and accidents were a common occurrence in the West and with little to no doctors, many lives were lost.For instance, if an individual caught yellow fever, there was no way to help them and they ended up losing their life. Also, if a farmer got his arm torn off in a farming machine, there were no doctors around to stop the bleeding and stitch it