Summary

Although she is now known as Helen Hunt Jackson. She actually wrote under the names of either Helen Hunt or Helen Jackson (using the names of her first or second husband). Other names she used were H.H., Saxe Holm, and anonymously in the No Name series published by Roberts Brothers of Boston.

Helen Hunt Jackson would have been a remarkable woman no matter when she was born. Given the time she lived and her championship of an unpopular cause she deserves even more accolades. Not only for her success as an author, but also her ability to overcome adversity. In spite of the fact that she experienced numerous personal tragedies and suffered from ill health for much of her life, she left behind a legacy of truly worthy accomplishments. It would have been easy for her to emulate her friend, the poet Emily Dickinson, and withdraw from life. Instead she made the best of her circumstances and selflessly fought to improve the situation for those less fortunate. The losses she endured helped to make her a more empathetic person and they served as a catalyst for her creative energies.

As a woman who had little sympathy for women who took up causes, she took on one with a vengeance. The last years of her life were dedicated to the cause of justice for Native Americans. Her energies, at times risking her own health, were focused on restitution for the injustices they had experienced. She deserves to be recognized as one of the noteworthy heroes in American history.

Her success as an author can be attributed to several factors. Firstly, she was an entertaining and talented writer. Secondly, she had friends and acquaintances who were among the elite of American literary figures in the latter part of the 19th century. Thirdly, she was active during an advantageous period of publishing history, as printing costs had been greatly reduced with technological improvements. Finally, the population had become much more literate than in the past, thus increasing potential readership. All of these factors contributed to the opening up of opportunities for writers, especially women, that had never been seen before.