Thomas Bangs Thorpe


Thomas Bangs Thorpe was an American antebellum humorist, painter, illustrator, and author. He is best known for the short story "The Big Bear of Arkansas", which was first published in the periodical Spirit of the Times in 1841. Thorpe's 1854 anti-slavery novel focuses on a young man from North Carolina who was educated at a college in New England, then moved to Louisiana with his slaves and established a plantation there. The novel is important for its depiction of slave-trading and its mild, but persuasive, critique of slavery.
He attended Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut from 1834 until 1837, and while at college gave evidence of artistic and literary talent. Thorpe's struggles with illness, however, prevented him from graduating.

Work

Thorpe is known for his perception of nature. His best-known short stories are “Tom Owen, The Bee Keeper” and “The Big Bear of Arkansas”, inspired by the natural scenery of the Southwest. Thorpe created these works with the natural setting of the Southwest in his mind. Thorpe made it his mission to showcase the scenery through his stories.
Thorpe used natural imagery and defended the well-being of life in the wild. Many of his pieces are named after animals.
He did not support the way animals were used by sportsmen. One example of this is in “Wild-cat Hunting”. In this text he describes how sportsmen are not hunters and that they tormented the wild cats in the text by trapping them, shooting them from safety and make them fight dogs.