From reading The Crimson Cap, I’ve learned historical and cultural significance during the 1600s. The book informed me on the goals of the French in the 1600s, which was to have French settlement by the Gulf of Mexico. I gained knowledge of two Indian tribe rivals in Texas during the 1600s, the Hasinai Indians and the Paiute Indians. The culture within the tribes were forceful in making anyone who joined them having to acquire a tribe tattoo. Gender role played a major factor in the story. Pierre’s father, Lucien, was the one who supplied for the family until he disappeared. That led to the oldest son, Pierre to be the one who provides for his family. Pierre’s mother was an ordinary housewife who watched over the younger children and didn’t work. Pierre had to make decisions throughout the book which ties into the theme of the book, decision making. Hearing about his mother’s passing, caused him to have to decide if he should go back to the Hasinai tribe, or stay with his brothers and sister. A question I gained while reading was why did Louis XIV allow La Salle to try and establish a colony by the Mississippi River to harass Spanish settlements knowing the challenge would cause death of his people and could spark war? In the story, Pierre and Meaner get captured by Spaniards on their way back to Nabedache, which caused me to consider this question.
Ellen Howard’s, The Crimson Cap, tells about a young Canadian boy named Pierre Talon who was born in New France, now known as Quebec. He’s been responsible for his family since his father disappeared. The Crimson Cap was a hat that Pierre’s mother knitted for his father when they lived in France that was supposed to bring him fortune and courage. The story takes place in Texas in the 1600s. Pierre and his family settled around Matagorda Bay in Texas from France, but some settlers struggled with diseases, attacks, and starvation. The French Explorer, La Salle selected Pierre along with his other men to go on an expedition in 1687, to find the Mississippi River ordered by the king of France, Louis XIV. La Salle and his followers landed in present day Texas. With his poor decision making, his men revolted against him, and assassinated him. When Pierre fell unconscious while traveling, the Hasinai tribe allowed him to stay with them in Nabedache. He and Mr. Liotot, a friend of Pierre’s mother, left Nabedache and traveled west until night. They were stopped and taken hostage by the Paouites of the Toho Tribe, who were enemies of the Hasini. Pierre escaped on Mr. Liotot’s horse and traveled back to the Nabedache village. He and his friend Meunier learned the way of the Hasinai. In the spring, Pierre and Meunier spotted Pierre’s mother grave. When Pierre returned home after being captured by Spaniards, his sister told him that the Toho killed their mother.
Overall, I wasn’t too stoked with The Crimson Cap and I wouldn’t recommend it to other readers. The author’s style of writing was confusing, especially when she added in new characters and used French words without the English meaning. While reading the book I had trouble keeping track of all the characters and who they were. There’s about 30 characters including Pierre, his mother, his father, La Salle, and Meunier. For example, she uses the word “mon mari” frequently to describe what the crimson cap would bring besides courage and fortune. This ties into her weaknesses, while her strengths were her usage of factual information. Although the book includes accurate historical information, it isn’t interesting and doesn’t give the feeling of wanting to read more, besides the ending when Pierre has to make up his mind on whether or not he will go to Spain.
Majority of the Crimson Cap was accurate to real history. In the past, there was an actual person named Pierre Talon who traveled with La Salle, left with the Hasinai Indians, and was captured by the Spaniards. The events that Pierre had to overcome are real events that occured, but the author left out aspects that could confuse the reader. The European characters like General Alonso de Leon were based on real people. The Native American characters in the book aren’t real according to Ellen Howard due to lack of information on them in Texas from the seventeenth century. The places where La Salle and his followers traveled, and the cause of his death was also accurate to history.
Learning about history from books such as the Crimson Cap, is important to help readers understand how different groups of people evolved, and how they conquered their obstacles. The story tells about young Pierre on a journey to find the Mississippi river with La Salle. The history in the book was accurate except the names of the Indian characters. It wasn’t a good book, but the information given in the story helps to learn about the French and Indians. Historical fiction books exposes the lives of people of a time period to readers, which also makes reading the Crimson Cap important.