The Journey and Downfall of Royce Oatman

Throughout history, there have been many tales of hubris. The grand “hero” of the tale makes an executive decision, often against the counsel of those around him. This decision, of course, leads to some sort of life-altering consequence, which will forever affect the leader and perhaps even teach him a lesson about a poor attitude. Some of these tales are exaggerated fiction, which are created in order to teach readers a lesson about poor attitudes and what they can cause. Yet, from time to time, these tales of hubris are true, and the consequences are real. Such is the case with Royce Oatman. If Royce had been less hubris and more willing to listen to the advice of others, his family would have survived and eventually gone on to live happy and successful lives.

The Oatman’s adventure began as a result of their decision to join a new sect of the Mormon faith. This particular belief, whose followers were named Brewsterites, had its roots in Kirtland, Ohio around 1836. A young boy, about ten years old, named Colin Brewster, showed promise in the eyes of Joseph Smith, the great Mormon prophet. Many had already noticed the boy’s “gift for seeing in vision distant objects not seen by the natural eye” (McGinty 40). Eventually, Brewster’s vision of a round table lead to his acceptance as “a prophet, a seer, a revelator and translator” (McGinty 31), by Joseph Smith Sr. and two other church elders, one of which was referred to as Lord.

Brewster’s visions continued, leading to his belief that his mission was to transcribe the “lost books” of Esdras, an ancient Israelite prophet. These visions were instigated by an angel, who decided that the best way for the Lord’s word to be transcribed would be through a boy about the age...

... middle of paper ...

...ival. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2005.

Mifflin, Margot. The Blue Tattoo: The Life of Olive Oatman. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2009.

Oatman, Olive Ann, Papers. “A Narritive.” Jerome Library, Bowling Green State University.

Oatman, Olive, and Lorenzo Oatman. The Captivity of the Oatman Girls Among The Apache and Mohave Indians. New York: Grabhorn Press, 1935.

Rau, Margaret. Olive Oatman: A True Story of the American West. Greensboro: Morgan Reynolds Incorporated, 1997.

Root, Virginia V. Following the Pot of Gold at the Rainbow’s End in the Days of 1850. Downey, CA: Elena Quinn, 1960.

Spengler, Christine Riley. Through The Mists of Time. 3. Toledo, OH: Self-Published, 2006.

Stratton, R.B. Captivity of the Oatman Girls: Being an Interesting Narrative of Life Among the Apache and Mohave Indians. San Francisco: Whitton, Towne and Co., 1857.