Tocqueville’s analysis of Native American lifestyle as opposed to an aristocratic lifestyle is enthralling, especially considering it was written in the early 1800s. His analysis has parallels to points he makes in “How Equality Suggests to the Americans the Idea of the Indefinite Perfectibility of Man”. In regards to aristocratic societies, Tocqueville asserts the idea that people in these societies are naturally more rude because of the fact that the rich and powerful band together and separate themselves from the poor and the lowly. This, in turn, causes the poor to feel oppressed and have a sense of anger because of their lowly social position. This anger arises from the realization that they feel stuck in their low class and have nowhere to go, causing them to accept their lowly position and give up on improving their place in society. This idea is similarly painted by Tocqueville in “How Equality Suggests to the Americans the Idea of the Indefinite Perfectibility of Man” when he explains how in aristocratic societies, a person is put into a lower class and this impairs their ability to want to improve and perfect their life. Tocqueville paints the idea the in Aristocratic societies, although they are stable and have many benefits, they put people into classes which has a profound effect. In regards to the Native American lifestyle, I found it extremely interesting how Tocqueville asserts that “although they are ignorant and poor, they are equal and free” which says a lot about what we can learn from more primitive societies.
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