Travel Essays · Chapter
The Hunter's Family explained
This chapter introduces the Hanson family, particularly Rufe Hanson and his wife, along with her brother Irvine Lovelands.
What happens
This chapter introduces the Hanson family, particularly Rufe Hanson and his wife, along with her brother Irvine Lovelands. Rufe is a hunter and amateur detective, grave and artistic, while Irvine is a crude, self-absorbed clodhopper. The chapter contrasts the two types of rusticity: the hunter living in nature and the clodhopper living outside society.
Themes in this chapter
Social Class and Inequality
The chapter explores the distinct class of 'Poor Whites' in America, contrasting their rustic independence with the ignorance and vanity of figures like Irvine Lovelands.
Nature and the Sublime
Rufe Hanson's connection to nature as a hunter and his artistic eye reflect a deep engagement with the natural world, while Irvine remains oblivious to it.
Human Connection and Community
The Hansons' visits and interactions with the narrator highlight the social bonds and communal life in the remote Silverado setting.
Characters to notice
- Rufe Hanson
A hunter and amateur detective, grave and deliberate, with an artistic eye and a deep, quiet nature.
- Mrs. Hanson
Rufe's wife, a comely, outspoken woman with a loud laugh, often in and out of the Silverado camp.
- Irvine Lovelands
Mrs. Hanson's brother, a crude, self-absorbed clodhopper who works cutting wood and boasts of his intelligence.
Key passages
“There is quite a large race or class of people in America, for whom we scarcely seem to have a parallel in England.”
America has a distinct class of rural people unlike any in England.
Introduces the 'Poor White' class.
“Rufe himself combined two of the qualifications, for he was both a hunter and an amateur detective.”
Rufe was both a hunter and a detective.
Highlights Rufe's dual skills.
“He lay long in bed in the morning—rarely indeed, rose before noon; he loved all games, from poker to clerical croquet.”
Rufe slept late and enjoyed various games.
Describes Rufe's leisurely habits.
“Irvine Lovelands was the most unmitigated Caliban I ever knew.”
Irvine was the most boorish person I have ever met.
Compares Irvine to Shakespeare's Caliban.