In Herman Melville’s Israel Potter, the protagonist represents Yankee Ingenuity because he always manages to escape from adversity.
Israel Potter joins the American forces and goes to war with the British. He is captured and then escapes, which he lives as a prisoner in the enemy land. In the start of the book, after recovering from a fight at Bunker Hill, he boarded an American ship. Later, the ship was captured by a British ship and Israel was taken prisoner and brought to England. With careful planning, he patiently waited until he heard the drunken soldiers fall into a deep sleep so he can find the chance to escape. Then he manages to escape the British ship and he finds his way to London. Israel shows Yankee Ingenuity because of his quick thinking of his escape …show more content…
Afterward, he ditches the Squire clothes, and disguises himself with the clothes from the farmer. He is less in control of the situation because he cannot determine the Squire’s fate, but he took the chance and disguised himself as the ghost of the Squire. Israel’s actions show Yankee Ingenuity because of his cleverness and creativeness by dressing himself as the squire’s ghost to get out of a dangerous situation with limited material/weapon on hand to escape a full house of enemies.
Israel Potter faces poverty in enemy land and works in many unpleasant jobs to survive. The first job that he had in London was a gardener at the “King’s Garden at Kew.” He had worked there for a while until the King had found out that he wasn’t one of the Englishmen, but a Yankee. His response, however, was friendlier than the portrayal of the King in history. However, although the King was friendly to him, it did not long, because Israel refused the offer of being in the King’s army because he didn’t want to betray the Americans. Later on, he was discharged of his