Jeremiah Johnson

Overall, I thought watching Jeremiah Johnson helped me to get a better grasp of what life was like for mountain men and traders. After watching the film, I had a greater appreciation for the stories told in Bent's Fort about the traders' encounters with Natives, with each other, and with nature.

I thought it was interesting to watch the relationship between Jeremiah and Swan to play out, especially after our in-class discussions about such relationships. Often in Bent's Fort, it is hard to believe that a loving relationship ever really blossomed between traders and Native women. With a few exceptions in the novel, it seems as though such marriages occurred for political and economical gains more frequently than they occurred on the basis of love. In Jeremiah Johnson, we see a different side to such stories, for even though Jeremiah was not looking for a wife (or child,) it was clear through his actions that real feelings for both parties had developed when Jeremiah returned to his home to find his family killed.