The Last of the Mohicans

When I first heard about the book, it was because of a movie called the same name. The brutality of war and the tenacious vitality of Indians leave me an unforgettable impression. Than I went to see the book which made me admire the author’s ability of environmental depiction. This book is just like a friend of mine, keeps me company and gives me knowledge. It makes me think more about life and peace. Reading this book is just like a journey in the great American forests. I really enjoy the feelings. I thought the book was excellent. I saw the movie first though and absolutely loved it, but after reading the book, I am very disappointed with the movie. It was nothing like the book. In the movie the characters were not even similar to those in the book. The movie barely skimmed the surface of the intricate issues and relationships that are the very heart of the Cooper's novel. I know that not every piece of a novel can be transformed into a screenplay, but this was a very sad attempt. I still like the movie, but I feel they should have given it a different name, because it does not bring the justice deserved to the book, The Last of the Mohicans. Now I would like to recommend this book to other readers.

Title

Abstract：

James Fenimore Cooper was one of the first popular American novelists, who was born in September 1789, in Burlington and died in 1851. The Last of Mohicans is regarded as Cooper’s masterpiece, which opens a new area for American literature. The story happens in the third year of the seven-year war which launched by the English and French aggressors. The story reappears vividly the aggressors’ criminal action and it also reveals the author’s sympathy to the Indians through the whole story. The novel exposes that the roof of the contradiction conflict and violence slaughter lies in the colonization desire of the English and French aggressors.
The author applies a large amount of symbolism to promote the development of the story, to distill the theme of the novel and to present the “black” atmosphere. The paper is divided into three parts: the first part mainly introduces the author and the story content to the reader. The second part analyzes the use of symbols in The Last of Mohicans through the descriptions of the conversations, bible, environment, animals and gun. The third part is the conclusion. It helps the reader to get a further understanding of the novel’s deep sense and attain a better understanding of the meanings what the author really wants to express.

Key word:

The Last of Mohicans; conversation; environment; animals; gun

Title

1. Brief Introduction of James Fenimore Cooper

     James Fenimore Cooper was the first great professional American author. He was born on September 15, 1789, in Burlington, New Jersey, and grew up in the frontier village of Cooperstown, New York, in the heart of the wilderness he was to immortalize in his frontier novels. A high-spirited youth, he was expelled from Yale because era prank and was finally signed into the navy by his strong-willed father. In 1819 a trifling incident reportedly led to the writing of his first book. Reading aloud to his wife from a popular English novel, he ex-claimed, "I could write you a better book myself!" The result was Precaution (1820), which was followed in 1821 by his first real success, The Spy.
      Cooper became a prolific writer, creating two unique genres that were to become staples in American literature--the sea romance and the frontier adventure story. The first of the famous Leather stocking tales, The Pioneers, appeared in 1823 and introduced the wilderness scout Natty Bumppo. This detailed portrait of frontier life has been called the first truly American novel. In The Last of the Mohicans (1826) Natty Bumppo becomes the well-loved Hawkeye befriended by the noble Indian Chingachgook; the novel remains a favorite American classic. Other Leather stocking tales were The Prairie (1827), The Pathfinder (1840), and The Deer slayer (1841). Cooper's sea stories The Pilot (1823), The Red Rover (1827), and The Sea Lions (1849) influenced both Herman Melville and Joseph Conrad and led to the use of the sea novel as a vehicle for spiritual and moral exploration. Cooper also wrote political satire, romance, and the meticulously researched History of the Navy of the United States of America (1839). By the time of his death on September 14, 1851, he was considered America's "national novelist."

2. Plot

It is the late 1750s, and the French and Indian War grips the wild forest frontier of western New York. The French army is attacking Fort William Henry, a British outpost commanded by Colonel Munro. Munro’s daughters Alice and Cora set out from Fort Edward to visit their father, escorted through the dangerous forest by Major Duncan Heyward and guided by an Indian named Magua. Soon they are joined by David Gamut, a singing master and religious follower of Calvinism. Traveling cautiously, the group encounters the white scout Natty Bumppo, who goes by the name Hawkeye, and his two Indian companions, Chingachgook and Uncas, Chingachgook’s son, the only surviving members of the once great Mohican tribe. Hawkeye says that Magua, a Huron, has betrayed the group by leading them in the wrong direction. The Mohicans attempt to capture the traitorous Huron, but he escapes.

Hawkeye and the Mohicans lead the group to safety in a cave near a waterfall, but Huron allies of Magua attack early the next morning. Hawkeye and the Mohicans escape down the river, but Hurons capture Alice, Cora, Heyward, and Gamut. Magua celebrates the kidnapping. When Heyward tries to convert Magua to the English side, the Huron reveals that he seeks revenge on Munro for past humiliation and proposes to free Alice if Cora will marry him. Cora has romantic feelings for Uncas, however, and angrily refuses Magua. Suddenly Hawkeye and the Mohicans burst onto the scene, rescuing the captives and killing every Huron but Magua, who escapes. After a harrowing journey impeded by Indian attacks, the group reaches Fort William Henry, the English stronghold. They sneak through the French army besieging the fort, and, once inside, Cora and Alice reunite with their father.

A few days later, the English forces call for a truce. Munro learns that he will receive no reinforcements for the fort and will have to surrender. He reveals to Heyward that Cora’s mother was part “Negro,” which explains her dark complexion and raven hair. Munro accuses Heyward of racism because he prefers to marry blonde Alice over dark Cora, but Heyward denies the charge. During the withdrawal of the English troops from Fort William Henry, the Indian allies of the French indulge their bloodlust and prey upon the vulnerable retreating soldiers. In the chaos of slaughter, Magua manages to recapture Cora, Alice, and Gamut and to escape with them into the forest.

Three days later, Heyward, Hawkeye, Munro, and the Mohicans discover Magua’s trail and begin to pursue the villain. Gamut reappears and explains that Magua has separated his captives, confining Alice to a Huron camp and sending Cora to a Delaware camp. Using deception and a variety of disguises, the group manages to rescue Alice from the Hurons, at which point Heyward confesses his romantic interest in her. At the Delaware village, Magua convinces the tribe that Hawkeye and his companions are their racist enemies. Uncas reveals his exalted heritage to the Delaware sage Tamenund and then demands the release of all his friends but Cora, who he admits belongs to Magua. Magua departs with Cora. A chase and a battle ensue. Magua and his Hurons suffer painful defeat, but a rogue Huron kills Cora. Uncas begins to attack the Huron who killed Cora, but Magua stabs Uncas in the back. Magua tries to leap across a great divide, but he falls short and must cling to a shrub to avoid tumbling off and dying. Hawkeye shoots him, and Magua at last plummets to his death.

Cora and Uncas receive proper burials the next morning amid ritual chants performed by the Delawares. Chingachgook mourns the loss of his son, while Tamenund sorrowfully declares that he has lived to see the last warrior of the noble race of the Mohicans.

3. Character Analysis

Hawkeye - The novel’s frontier hero, he is a woodsman, hunter, and scout. Hawkeye is the hero’s adopted name; his real name is Natty Bumppo. A famous marksman, Hawkeye carries a rifle named Killdeer and has earned the frontier nickname La Longue Carabine, or The Long Rifle. Hawkeye moves more comfortably in the forest than in civilization. His closest bonds are with Indians, particularly Chingachgook and Uncas, but he frequently asserts that he has no Indian blood. As a cultural hybrid—a character who mixes elements of different cultures—Hawkeye provides a link between Indians and whites.

Magua - The novel’s villain, he is a cunning Huron nicknamed Le Renard Subtil, or the Subtle Fox. Once a chief among his people, Magua was driven from his tribe for

drunkenness. Because the English Colonel Munro enforced this humiliating punishment, Magua possesses a burning desire for retaliation against him.

Major Duncan Heyward - A young American colonist from the South who has risen to the rank of major in the English army. Courageous, well-meaning, and noble, Heyward often finds himself out of place in the forest, thwarted by his lack of knowledge about the frontier and Indian relations. Heyward’s unfamiliarity with the land sometimes creates problems for Hawkeye, the dexterous woodsman and leader.

Uncas - Chingachgook’s son, he is the youngest and last member of the Indian tribe known as the Mohicans. A noble, proud, self-possessed young man, Uncas falls in love with Cora Munro and suffers tragic consequences for desiring a forbidden interracial coupling. Noble Uncas thwarts the evil Magua’s desire to marry Cora. Uncas also functions as Hawkeye’s surrogate son, learning about leadership from Hawkeye.

Chingachgook - Uncas’s father, he is one of the two surviving members of the Mohican tribe. An old friend of Hawkeye, Chingachgook is also known as Le Gros Serpent—the Great Snake—because of his crafty intelligence.

David Gamut - A young Calvinist attempting to carry Christianity to the frontier through the power of his song. Ridiculously out of place in the wilderness, Gamut is the subject of Hawkeye’s frequent mockery. Gamut matures into Hawkeye’s helpful ally, frequently supplying him with important information.

Cora Munro - Colonel Munro’s eldest daughter, a solemn girl with a noble bearing. Cora’s dark complexion derives from her mother’s “Negro” background. Cora attracts the love of the Mohican warrior Uncas and seems to return his feelings cautiously. She suffers the tragic fate of the sentimental heroine.

Alice Munro - Colonel Munro’s younger daughter by his Scottish second wife, and Cora’s half-sister. Girlish and young, she tends to faint at stressful moments. Alice and Heyward love each other. Alice’s blonde hair, fair skin, and weakness make her a conventional counterpart to the racially mixed and fiery Cora.

Colonel Munro - The commander of the British forces at Fort William Henry and father of Cora and Alice. As a young man, Munro traveled to the West Indies, where he married a woman of “Negro” descent, Cora’s mother. When Munro’s first wife died, he returned to Scotland and married his childhood sweetheart, who later gave birth to Alice. Although Munro is a massive, powerful man, circumstances in the war eventually leave him withdrawn and ineffectual.

General Montcalm - Marquis Louis Joseph de Saint-Veran, known as Montcalm, is the commander of the French forces fighting against England during the French and Indian War. He enlists the aid and knowledge of Indian tribes to help his French forces navigate the unfamiliar forest combat setting. After capturing Fort William Henry, though, he is powerless to prevent the Indian massacre of the English troops.

4. Comment:

    The Last of the Mohicans is complete in itself, but is tied to the other stories by Natty Bumppo, the central figure of the series. His character as the last uncorrupted white man who prefers the code of the Indian than the nature of the white settlers, who is loyal, courageous and a superb exponent of wood craft struck a chord with contemporary Americans that still finds an echo today. It is an adventure set in the forests of North America during the Seven Years War (1756-1763) between Great Britain and France. The plot revolves around the efforts of Alice and Cora Munro to join their father, who is the commander of Fort William Henry near Lake Champlain. Their course is blocked by Magua, the leader of a group of Huron Indians who are allied to the French. His schemes are frustrated by Uncas, the last of the Mohicans, his father Chingachgook, and Natty Bumppo. The book is characterized by a series of thrilling attacks, captures, flights and rescues.

 A notable feature of the story is that Cooper uses more than one name for many of the characters and groups of people. For example, Hawkeye is also known as Natty Bumpo, La Longue Carabine, Long Rifle, and Scout.

Another feature of the story is Cooper‘s noted detailed and verbose descriptions of places, characters, events, and so on.

Culture Clash: In the wilderness of upper New York, two cultures clash—white Eurocentric culture and native Indian culture.

Generally speaking, Hawkeye, Heyward, and David Gamut, each in his different way, represent the values of white civilization. Heyward represents the military ideal; David represents the sect of Protestantism known as Calvinism. Hawkeye is a more complex case because he in a sense lives in both worlds, Indian and white, and has great respect for some of the Indian ways.

Interracial Relationships: The theme of interracial relationships between Indians and whites is an undercurrent throughout the novel. Such relationships are frowned upon and regarded as unnatural.

The battles among Indians are cruel. Many people can not avoid death. Natty Bumppo does not want kill any one but have no choice to survive. He does proud of killing the enemy. When killing a cunning Huron in the tree in chapter 8, “No shout of triumph succeeded this important advantage, but even the Mohicans gazed at each other in silent horror. A single yell burst from the woods, and all was again still. Hawkeye, who alone appeared to reason on the occasion, shook his head at his own momentary weakness, even uttering his self-disapprobation aloud”. For end the Huron’s suffering as soon as possible, he shoots him, which also shows his goodness.

This is also a story about a great friendship between Hawkeye, the White Man, and Chingachgook, the chief of the Mohicans. It is mainly about rescuing the Munro sisters from being caught, and returning them to safety with their father during the war between the French and the English. The English army is having a problem because there are no more reinforcements. General Webb is scared, and asks Colonel Munro to seek surrender. What happened next? Did Hawkeye and the Mohicans succeed or lose?--Submitted by Diyanah Harun.

The tragic irony is that the last of the Mohicans, symbolically represent the last of a dying Indian culture, including not only the Mohicans but all the Indian tribes—dispersed, divided and ultimately destroyed by the coming of the Europeans.

    Though often hangs in the conflicting matter of friendly sympathy for Indians and discrimination to their savage bad manners, the inherent superiority of white eventually lead Cooper to support the white civilization and of discriminate the Indian tribes . This story discusses the Cooper through the whole Indian savage, backward, irrational image display, revealing his sense of superiority of white supremacy and self-identity of white governing the Indians. Regarding white civilization as the center and pride, reveal his exclusion of national civilization and narrow view of race. The design of the story, resulting in the death of all the major people of color except Chingachgook is further exposed his self-identity of Indian genocide policy. In short, as a white writer who describes the demise of Indian tribes, Cooper does not get rid of the impact of white civilization and the Indian ethnic discrimination. He with a melancholy mood essentially maintains the status of the white civilization and pride, but also agrees with white colonial Indians and Indian tribes eventually lead to the demise of history.

Conclusion:

Overall, Cooper's novel opens up a new area of U.S. literary history, but also the novel art to a new level. James Fenimore Cooper’s novel deserves appreciated and contemplating, for every sentence uttered by the characters in the story is justified.

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