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The Problem of Old Harjo

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THE PROBLEM OF OLD HARJO

GENRE
Short story - Historical Fiction
Subtheme: religion

SETTING:
Place: This story takes places in Indian Territory, in the USA. Before settlers landed on America's shores, Indians resided in what would become Oklahoma ("okla" meaning people and "humma" meaning red, so the state's name literally means "red people")
Time: in the middle 1800s when Indians had already been relocated in the West.
Historical background: Oklahoma's recorded history began in 1541 when Spanish explorer Coronado ventured through the area on his quest for the "Lost City of Gold." The land that would eventually be known as Oklahoma was part of the 1803 Louisiana Purchase.
Beginning in the 1820s, the Five Civilized Tribes …show more content…

He was a hospitable, respectful person. He wanted to be baptized and received into the church.
Miss Evans: The dynamic character, the one who changed during the story, the one who realized her mistake. She was a missionary, weak on matters of doctrine. She was young and possessed of but one enthusiasm -- that for saving souls. She tried to rehabilitate old Harjo morally, but as he didn’t agree in leaving one of his wives, she realized that there was no way to change things. And she felt guilty because she woke him up to a desire for the water of salvation that he could not take.
Mrs Rowell: The minor and static character. She had been working as a missionary for fifteen years and knew it was no use to try to convert the older Indians. She was a sincere and patriotic woman as well as practical, discreet, charitable and tactful. But she was also immovable.
Liza: Harjo’s first wife. She was a stout, handsome, plump woman of about fifty five, with a clear, sweet voice. She was also a hard-working woman. She was of the Crow people. She had lived with Harjo since he was thirty years old and had helped him to make the farm.
Jenny: Harjo’s second wife. She had gone to live with Harjo when he was thirty five and she was twenty five because she had been taken care of her old mother. She was a hard-working woman in his fifties and also funny. She was tall and thin. Liza had suggested Harjo to

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