The Last Of The Mohicans Essay

James Fenimore Cooper lived in a time of Indians, prejudice, and the Great Frontier. Many people of his time did not understand the ways of the Indians and frontier life, so they created a taboo and stereotypical view that Indians were brutal, lesser people and that the frontier life was for savages. Back then the ideal life was not that of a woodsman but that of a sociable noble, with high honor and values. Though Cooper shared some of the same values and ideas, he held an admiration for the frontier, wilderness and the woodsman. It seemed as though he believed in white supremacy to an extent but at the same time held a view of awe and respect for Native Americans. This ambivalence towards racism between Whites and Indians is shown numerously throughout the book and it is also apparent that Cooper held responsibility, determination, honor, and courage in high regard.

Cooper showed his belief in the superiority of the white race through mainly through the characters of Alice and Duncan. Right away Cooper shows how Alice, the younger of the two Munro daughters, feels about Indians in this quote. "Not a voice was heard among them; but a slight exclamation proceeded from the younger of the females, as the Indian runner glided by her, unexpectedly... her veil also was allowed to open its folds, and betrayed an indescribable look of pity, admiration, and horror, as her dark eye followed the easy motions of the savage"(8-9). He is showing that Alice is repulsed but Magua and feels that the Indian is lesser than her, or as he calls Magua a "savage" as he does a lot with the Indians in the book. At the beginning of the book Cooper portrays Duncan as the clichй courageous British gentleman who is with the

girls not just for company but to protect them from the savage Indians that will kill them without second thought. But his agreement of with white supremacy and view on honor is greatest show at the surrender of Fort William Henry. The French let the British forces and all their people surrender peacefully and with their dignity, which is a very honorable thing to do, but once they tried to leave the Indians attacked and killed everyone. Cooper goes into great detail about how horrible and inhumane they act.

Though it may seem that Cooper is racist against Native Americans, throughout the book he writes about them in a sort of envious awe and respect. Cooper is always talking about how gifted the Indians are with the ways of the woods and how athletic and agile humans they are. He created the character of Hawkeye, the classic heroic sturdy woodsman, who Cooper seems to almost speak through. Cooper made Hawkeye best friends with the Mohicans which was unheard of the time, and he is always talking about how gifted and heroic and at the same time humble and generous they are. It is obvious that Cooper had an ambivalent view towards