Critique of "The Light in the Forest," by Conrad Richter , explores indian/environment relationships

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…The greatest dilemma is that the values of Indians and whites directly contradict one another. The Indian values the open air and the forests, while the white man builds cabins and cuts roadways through the countryside. The Indian holds land as a sacred gift from the Great Being, but the white views the earth as a farmstead capable of profit. White men seem to be cut off from nature by their materialism, greed, and possessiveness.