(the) American (Novel of)

164 Kevin MacDonald
kind of cultural arche? Is it not a tale to be remembered with a lesson
to be learned? And what is that lesson, precisely?
It is highly likely—no, almost certain—that there is no precise
lesson here. We know that stories like this, whether it be the story of
Thanksgiving, the story of Christmas, or say, the story of Columbus, are
all exercised upon us like so many spells and incantations with the
effect of putting us into a trance which can serve many purposes.
Whose purposes? Again no exact answer can be given. Sometimes it is
the purposes of another; sometimes it is our own purposes that are
served. The institution of Thanksgiving, however, does bring into focus
how Americans are disposed toward the phenomena of gratitude. That
may be one of the lessons posed by the story of Thanksgiving, a lesson
on saying thank you, an exercise in grace.
It is a story of helplessness and succor, of please and thank you.
We know the story well enough. The Pilgrims, having some inexperience
in matters of New World survival, were near starvation in their
first year. The Native Americans, for all intents and purposes, came to
the assistance of the Pilgrims, teaching them as well as feeding them.
Thanksgiving undoubtedly has its historical roots in the tradition of the
harvest feast. But the facts of the case are rather interesting, and have
no little bearing on the subject that falls under our consideration in this
chapter. In the traditional, more finely detailed account of the first
Thanksgiving, a Native American named Squanto plays a rather significant
role. Squanto is often pictured as the helpful Indian who was willing
to save the colonists from a potential disaster. Most us are not aware of
the fact that this same Squanto had been captured and enslaved by
English slave traders some years previous to the pilgrim landing, and
was basically shuttled back and forth between Spain, England, and the
New World until he ended up on the Massachusetts coast, once again
a free person. Whatever his real motivation, if ever such a thing could
be discovered, it is noteworthy that our friend Squanto practiced a form
of graciousness toward these settlers, people who were intent on establishing
their own domain regardless of the existence of the native
peoples. The graciousness of Squanto is all the more remarkable considering
that he must have had some experience of European hostility
and rapacity. As we know, it is not Squanto who is remembered on
Thanksgiving, it is our good fortune in being so blessed with plenty for
which we give thanks. But do Americans really know how to say please
and thank you; do they really know how to say grace?